The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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116 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANTHONY BROOME T he expanded Big Ten Conference and College Football Playoff gave way to a heavyweight fight at the top of the conference standings last season, with four programs — Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana — making the 12-team field. The Ducks took down the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten championship game after an undefeated regular season, but it was OSU that raised the national title trophy on the final night of the season. The Buckeyes finished fourth in the Big Ten and lost two regular-season games, including their fourth straight defeat to Michigan. It was an example of how the stakes in the regular season are a bit lower, and the margin for error is greater with a chance for redemption in the playoffs. Michigan might not need to redeem itself in 2025 for the previous year's per- formance, but the appetite to climb back into the conference's top tier and play for a Big Ten title and a trip to the CFP is chief among the objectives for this season. The Wolverines will not be the only ones, though. The middle of the league is as strong as it has ever been, and the transfer portal has changed a lot of pro- grams' outlooks, both for good and bad. Penn State brings back the most talent in the league and is the favorite to win it, but Ohio State, Oregon and, yes, Michi- gan should give the Nittany Lions all they can handle at the top of the league table. Indiana is no longer a feel-good story under Curt Cignetti and expects to be in that mix, too. In the right set of cir- cumstances, Washington, Illinois, USC, Nebraska and Iowa also could be among the teams that make a push. With unbalanced rotating schedules and CFP expansion, the opportunities to play for a national title are no longer limited to just the blue blood programs. Everyone has question marks heading into the season, which should make for an entertaining year in a conference that has won the last two national champion- ships, much to the chagrin of the SEC. Preview Michigan Looks For A Return To The Top Tier, Penn State Aims Higher Quarterback Drew Allar opted to pass on the NFL Draft and return to Penn State for his se- nior season. His career passing efficiency rat- ing (144.0) is the best in school history, and he has thrown for 6,302 yards and 53 touchdowns in three seasons, against just 10 interceptions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL