The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
22 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW be far along in their development by the Nov. 29 matchup. The implications for that contest are enormous, as Michigan hopes to win its fifth in a row in the se- ries, while Ohio State aims to reclaim its edge. As if this rivalry needed any more fuel, the storylines going into 2025 after last year's meeting show there won't be much of a cooling-off period." FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Buckeyes installed as a 5.5-point favorite for the Nov. 29 tilt at Michigan Stadium with the over/under set at 47.5 points. The Game will kick off at noon on FOX again with the contest following its "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show. Athlon Sports Athlon ranked Michigan fourth in the Big Ten as well as its preseason No. 15 team nationally, which would put the Wolverines just outside the College Football Playoff window. Accordingly, the publication projects U-M to be play- ing in the Cheeze-It Citrus Bowl versus Florida, which is not the destination that either program has in mind this season. "If [freshman quarterback Bryce] Un- derwood develops as expected, a return to the College Football Playoff is within reach," Athlon wrote, noting that the freshman will not have to carry this team based on six returning starters on de- fense, the running back tandem of Jus- tice Haynes and Jordan Marshall and "a schedule that breaks in Michigan's favor." Athlon's key takeaways on Michigan were as follows: Offense: "There's no way to go this year but up for Michigan, which ranked 129th nationally in total offense in 2024 (286.2 yards per game)." Defense: "It's possible that this Michi- gan defense will match the top-20 unit of last year, despite losing a pair of early round NFL Draft picks (Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant)." Specialists: "Big Ten Kicker of the Year Dominic Zvada is motivated after being snubbed from the Lou Groza Award fi- nalist list." Final Analysis: " T h e Wo lve r i n e s will have better QB play, a more explo- sive offense and a deeper defense with a secondary that should force plenty of turnovers. Combine that with an easier schedule, and life in Ann Arbor should be more enjoyable this fall for [Sher- rone] Moore, who got a late start and was learning on the job last year." Lindy's Sports Lindy's also ranked Michigan No. 4 in the Big Ten and as its preseason No. 16 overall, starting with the carryover momentum of a three-game winning streak. "Buy low, sell high on the Wolverines in 2025?" Lindy's asked. "After all, once they were buried at 5-5 last season, the Wol- ATHLON SPORTS 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Ohio State* 4. Georgia 5. Clemson 6. Notre Dame 7. LSU 8. Alabama 9. Oregon 10. Miami (Fla.) 11. Florida 12. South Carolina 13. Kansas State 14. Arizona State 15. Michigan 16. Indiana 17. Illinois 18. Ole Miss 19. Texas A&M 20. Oklahoma* 21. Tennessee 22. Texas Tech 23. Iowa State 24. SMU 25. Boise State LINDY'S SPORTS 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Ohio State* 4. Clemson 5. LSU 6. Notre Dame 7. Oregon 8. Alabama 9. Georgia 10. Miami (Fla.) 11. SMU 12. Oklahoma 13. South Carolina 14. Arizona State 15. Florida 16. Michigan 17. Illinois 18. Texas Tech 19. Ole Miss 20. Kansas State 21. BYU 22. Iowa State 23. Louisville 24. Nebraska* 25. Baylor PHIL STEELE'S 2025 COLLEGE FOOTBALL 1. Penn State 2. Clemson 3. Notre Dame 4. Texas 5. Ohio State* 6. Georgia 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. Oklahoma* 10. Michigan 11. LSU 12. SMU 13. Baylor 14. Miami (Fla.) 15. Boise State 16. Illinois 17. Florida 18. Utah 19. Texas A&M 20. Indiana 21. Iowa State 22. USC* 23. Arizona State 24. Kansas State 25. Toledo * Michigan 2025 opponents Michigan's Preseason All-Americans PK Dominic Zvada — first-team (Athlon, Lindy's, Phil Steele); also Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year by Phil Steele ATHLON SPORTS 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Oregon 4. Michigan 5. Indiana 6. Illinois 7. Iowa 8. Nebraska 9. USC 10. Washington 11. Minnesota 12. Rutgers 13. Wisconsin 14. Michigan State 15. UCLA 16. Northwestern 17. Maryland 18. Purdue LINDY'S SPORTS 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Oregon 4. Michigan 5. Illinois 6. Nebraska 7. USC 8. Washington 9. Indiana 10. Iowa 11. Minnesota 12. Wisconsin 13. UCLA 14. Michigan State 15. Maryland 16. Rutgers 17. Northwestern 18. Purdue PHIL STEELE 1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Oregon 4. Michigan T5. Illinois T5. Indiana T5. USC T5. Nebraska 9. Iowa T10. Minnesota T10. Washington 12. Wisconsin 13. Rutgers T14. Michigan State T14. UCLA T16. Northwestern T16. Maryland 18. Purdue Preseason Magazines Predict the Big Ten ATHLON DL — 8 LB — 10 RB — 10 LINDY'S DL — 5 LB — 5 RB* — 10 * Backfield PHIL STEELE LB — 2 DL — 5 ST — 5 DB — 9 RB — 11 OL — 22 QB — 61 Top 25 Preseason National Rankings Michigan In National Unit Rankings