Things haven’t gone as planned for the Michigan Wolverines this season.
After losing multiple coaches and starters on both sides of the ball, the 2024 College Football Playoff National Champions were expected to take a step back this season. Instead of a step, they dropped off a cliff.
The Wolverines are 5-4 going into their final three games. With two of the games against the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers and vaunted rival Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan’s margin for error in making a bowl game is getting very slim.
First-year head coach Sherrone Moore knows what’s ahead of him, and speaking to the media this week, he addressed how pivotal it is for the program to make a bowl game.
“It’s huge for us, huge for the program. Just gives you another chance to go play football, to get better, and impact this team, and put another win in the win column,” Moore said earlier this week during his weekly press conference.
If Michigan fails to qualify for a bowl game, it will mark the first time this has happened in a non-COVID season since 2014. The 2014 season saw the Wolverines finish 5-7, the last season under former head coach Brady Hoke. The 5-7 finish caused the program to move on from Hoke and hire eventual AP Coach of the Year Jim Harbaugh.
While it’s unlikely that Michigan would move on from Moore if they lose the rest of their games, it certainly would cause concern.
Michigan will face Indiana in Bloomington on Saturday. The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET and air on CBS.
