The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
36 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Michigan is expected to improve this year, but will it be enough to contend for a Big Ten title? Here are five goals for the Wolver- ines heading into the season. 1. Make the College Football Playoff. Michigan has its question marks on offense, but the defense should be playoff worthy again. The schedule, meanwhile, sets up for a run if the Wolverines can score enough points. There's only one team assured to be in the preseason top 25 (Ohio State), though road games at Oklahoma and Nebraska could be tough. Would a three-loss team make the playoffs? It's only a matter of time before one does. 2. Get the offensive line back to Michigan standards. Last year simply wasn't good enough, second only to the quar- terbacks as the team's biggest weakness. Other than left tackle Myles Hinton, this group seemed to underachieve. Line coach Grant Newsome did an "outstanding" job with the group in spring ball, head coach Sherrone Moore said, but the defensive line won most battles. The improvement here starts at left tackle, which is wide open … and a huge question mark. Led by head coach Sherrone Moore (far right) and key returners such as tight end Max Bredeson (44) and offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi (58), Michigan is aiming to return to the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in five years. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Top Five Goals In 2025 3. Head into the finale vs. Ohio State with a chance to make the Big Ten title game. While it's inevitable that the two teams go back to winning their share, short-term dominance has been the name of the game for a few decades now. It's been Michigan's turn the last four years. In this era, though, you can still lose The Game and make the playoff, which the eventual national champion Buckeyes did last season. Still — conference titles matter, and you want to be in that position on the last weekend of November. 4. Establish an identity on offense. Moore wants to "smash" with the running game, but offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has developed great passing and run games on his previous stops. He'll likely implement more RPOs (run-pass option plays) and come up with ways to scheme receivers open, but toughness is this program's hallmark. There's a balance they'll need to find, and it may involve more running plays for the quarterback, too. 5. Move past the off-field distractions. Reports surfaced this spring that Michigan was prepared to suspend Moore for two games and tack on some recruiting restrictions for "Signgate" ramifications. It was still up in the air as of mid-June, but it's past time to get this out of the news and move forward. Enough is enough.