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LGHL Ohio State regains No. 1 class in 2025, looking to finish strong
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Ohio State regains No. 1 class in 2025, looking to finish strong
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Five-star 2025 OT David Sanders Jr. | @DavidLSandersJr on Twitter
The Buckeyes have some highly-ranked targets still remaining on the board.
Thanks to a de-commitment from Alabama, Ohio State once again lays claim to the No. 1 overall class in 2025. With 24 commits, the Buckeyes (310.88) are now a few points ahead of the Crimson Tide (304.41) for the top spot. That being said, Ryan Day and crew cannot just rely on players leaving other schools if they want to finish out with the nation’s best recruiting class. Luckily, Ohio State remains in the running for a handful of big names in this cycle.
Here are some of the players the Buckeyes are still working to add to their top-ranked group, in no particular order:
While I said the list is in no particular order, there is a clear and obvious top priority among these names in five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. The No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 2 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Sanders would be the guy who could take this Ohio State class from a really good one to a great one. The North Carolina native announces his commitment on Aug. 17, and will choose between Ohio State, Georgia, Nebraska and Tennessee, with the Buckeyes and Vols seemingly at the top of the list.
After not hearing much buzz around Petty for a bit, Ohio State has reportedly been making a late push for the offensive lineman out of Georgia. The No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 37 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Petty has a top five schools consisting of Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Tennessee. The Seminoles have long been considered the favorite in this recruitment, and while that will likely be his destination when he makes his decision on Aug. 12, maybe the Buckeyes have done enough to make themselves a legit contender.
Rounding out the offensive linemen on the board, McFadden is another talented player Ohio State is after — this time on the interior. Ranked as the No. 28 IOL in this class and the No. 13 player out of Maryland in the 247Sports Composite, McFadden visited Columbus in early June. Around that same time Ohio State became the favorites for McFadden on the On3 RPM, but there has been little to go off since then. There is no set timetable for the 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman to announce his commitment.
One of two players committed elsewhere on this list, Rogers is currently a member of Alabama’s 2025 class. The 5-foot-8, 190 running back nicknamed ‘Turbo’ checks in as the No. 6 RB and No. 111 player overall per the 247Sports Composite. Rogers was offered by Carlos Locklyn in April and took a visit to Columbus at the end of May, and could potentially return for an official visit during the fall. While it won’t be easy to steal a player from the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban’s retirement gives Ohio State a legitimate chance to add a third talented back in this cycle.
Only receiving an official offer from Ohio State this past Thursday, Myles is an interesting name to watch in this cycle. A five-star prospect by 247Sports’ rankings, the Utah native sits as the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 30 player nationally. The in-state Utes as well as Texas A&M have been viewed as the leaders for the 6-foot-2 pass-catcher, but Brian Hartline entering the mix certainly makes things interesting. They have a lot of catching up to do, but if the Buckeyes can get Myles on a visit this fall, you can never rule out Hartline in any recruitment.
Keeping with the wide receiver spot, Bell has long been viewed as likely Ohio State’s top remaining target at the position. Standing at 6-foot-2 out of California, Bell currently ranks as the No. 17 WR and the No. 170 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. This has seemingly narrowed down to a two-team battle between Ohio State and USC, with the in-state Trojans likely having the edge right now. Bell visited Columbus on June 14, and took the trip to USC a week later on June 21. There is currently no timetable for a decision.
A third and final target at the wide receiver position, Bowman is another player Ohio State entered the mix for late. Currently committed to Kentucky, the Pickerington North product ranks as the No. 38 player in Ohio and the No. 142 WR per 247Sports’ rankings. The Buckeyes only offered Bowman on June 23 — one day after his commitment to the Wildcats. The Ohio native camped four times with the Buckeyes and there is clear mutual interest between the two parties, but Hartline will have to do some work to pry him away from Kentucky.
One of only two defensive players on this list, Delhomme is likely the final player on the board at defensive back, with Trey McNutt almost certainly ending up at Oregon. Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri have done a tremendous job in this 2025 cycle, and would love to close things out with the Virginia native. The 6-foot-1 safety ranks as the No. 11 player at the position and the No. 115 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. Ohio State was listed in Delhomme’s top six schools alongside Alabama, Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech, but no timetable has been set for a decision.
Last but not least, Autry is the second player on this list currently committed elsewhere, having made his pledge to Auburn all the way back in February of 2023. An Alabama native, the 6-foot-5.5, 320-pound defensive tackle would be a tremendous (no pun intended) get for Ohio State, as players of his size and caliber generally wind up in the SEC. However, Autry has shown an interest in the Buckeyes, and his close friendship with OSU commit Zion Grady certainly helps them in this attempt to flip the five-star prospect. Autry is rated as the No. 4 DL and No. 29 player nationally by 247Sports’ rankings.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Five-star 2025 OT David Sanders Jr. | @DavidLSandersJr on Twitter
The Buckeyes have some highly-ranked targets still remaining on the board.
Thanks to a de-commitment from Alabama, Ohio State once again lays claim to the No. 1 overall class in 2025. With 24 commits, the Buckeyes (310.88) are now a few points ahead of the Crimson Tide (304.41) for the top spot. That being said, Ryan Day and crew cannot just rely on players leaving other schools if they want to finish out with the nation’s best recruiting class. Luckily, Ohio State remains in the running for a handful of big names in this cycle.
Here are some of the players the Buckeyes are still working to add to their top-ranked group, in no particular order:
- David Sanders Jr. - OT, North Carolina
While I said the list is in no particular order, there is a clear and obvious top priority among these names in five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. The No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 2 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Sanders would be the guy who could take this Ohio State class from a really good one to a great one. The North Carolina native announces his commitment on Aug. 17, and will choose between Ohio State, Georgia, Nebraska and Tennessee, with the Buckeyes and Vols seemingly at the top of the list.
- Josh Petty - OT, Georgia
After not hearing much buzz around Petty for a bit, Ohio State has reportedly been making a late push for the offensive lineman out of Georgia. The No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 37 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite, Petty has a top five schools consisting of Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Tennessee. The Seminoles have long been considered the favorite in this recruitment, and while that will likely be his destination when he makes his decision on Aug. 12, maybe the Buckeyes have done enough to make themselves a legit contender.
- Jayvon McFadden - IOL, Maryland
Rounding out the offensive linemen on the board, McFadden is another talented player Ohio State is after — this time on the interior. Ranked as the No. 28 IOL in this class and the No. 13 player out of Maryland in the 247Sports Composite, McFadden visited Columbus in early June. Around that same time Ohio State became the favorites for McFadden on the On3 RPM, but there has been little to go off since then. There is no set timetable for the 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman to announce his commitment.
- Anthony Rogers - RB, Alabama (Alabama commit)
One of two players committed elsewhere on this list, Rogers is currently a member of Alabama’s 2025 class. The 5-foot-8, 190 running back nicknamed ‘Turbo’ checks in as the No. 6 RB and No. 111 player overall per the 247Sports Composite. Rogers was offered by Carlos Locklyn in April and took a visit to Columbus at the end of May, and could potentially return for an official visit during the fall. While it won’t be easy to steal a player from the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban’s retirement gives Ohio State a legitimate chance to add a third talented back in this cycle.
- Jerome Myles - WR, Utah
Only receiving an official offer from Ohio State this past Thursday, Myles is an interesting name to watch in this cycle. A five-star prospect by 247Sports’ rankings, the Utah native sits as the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 30 player nationally. The in-state Utes as well as Texas A&M have been viewed as the leaders for the 6-foot-2 pass-catcher, but Brian Hartline entering the mix certainly makes things interesting. They have a lot of catching up to do, but if the Buckeyes can get Myles on a visit this fall, you can never rule out Hartline in any recruitment.
- Phillip Bell - WR, California
Keeping with the wide receiver spot, Bell has long been viewed as likely Ohio State’s top remaining target at the position. Standing at 6-foot-2 out of California, Bell currently ranks as the No. 17 WR and the No. 170 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. This has seemingly narrowed down to a two-team battle between Ohio State and USC, with the in-state Trojans likely having the edge right now. Bell visited Columbus on June 14, and took the trip to USC a week later on June 21. There is currently no timetable for a decision.
- Preston Bowman - WR, Ohio
A third and final target at the wide receiver position, Bowman is another player Ohio State entered the mix for late. Currently committed to Kentucky, the Pickerington North product ranks as the No. 38 player in Ohio and the No. 142 WR per 247Sports’ rankings. The Buckeyes only offered Bowman on June 23 — one day after his commitment to the Wildcats. The Ohio native camped four times with the Buckeyes and there is clear mutual interest between the two parties, but Hartline will have to do some work to pry him away from Kentucky.
- Messiah Delhomme - S, Virginia
One of only two defensive players on this list, Delhomme is likely the final player on the board at defensive back, with Trey McNutt almost certainly ending up at Oregon. Tim Walton and Matt Guerrieri have done a tremendous job in this 2025 cycle, and would love to close things out with the Virginia native. The 6-foot-1 safety ranks as the No. 11 player at the position and the No. 115 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. Ohio State was listed in Delhomme’s top six schools alongside Alabama, Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech, but no timetable has been set for a decision.
- Malik Autry - DT, Alabama (Auburn commit)
Last but not least, Autry is the second player on this list currently committed elsewhere, having made his pledge to Auburn all the way back in February of 2023. An Alabama native, the 6-foot-5.5, 320-pound defensive tackle would be a tremendous (no pun intended) get for Ohio State, as players of his size and caliber generally wind up in the SEC. However, Autry has shown an interest in the Buckeyes, and his close friendship with OSU commit Zion Grady certainly helps them in this attempt to flip the five-star prospect. Autry is rated as the No. 4 DL and No. 29 player nationally by 247Sports’ rankings.
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LGHL TTUN: Taking a stab at predicting Michigan’s record in 2024
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TTUN: Taking a stab at predicting Michigan’s record in 2024
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Set Number: X164476 TK1
How will the Wolverines follow up their national championship season?
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State’s rivals. Michigan is the defending national champion, but there has been a lot of change in Ann Arbor. What does that mean for the season, the Big Ten, and the Buckeyes? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”That Team Up North” articles here.
The last three years have not been kind to Ohio State fans who love to see failures on the football field from Michigan. The Wolverines beat Ohio State the last three seasons, won the Big Ten in each of those years, and made three straight College Football Playoffs. Then after beating Alabama at the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2024, Michigan easily took care of business in the title game against Washington to give Jim Harbaugh a national championship before he returned to the NFL coaching ranks.
Despite earning the national title back in January, the last few months of 2024 might not be nearly as fun for Michigan. With Harbaugh now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, Sherrone Moore is officially the head coach of the Wolverines. While Moore did find success during his time as acting head coach during two separate Harbaugh suspensions in 2023, this year is going to be different for Moore since he is officially the guy in Ann Arbor. Last season Harbaugh was cooking up the game plans and Moore was serving up the meals on Saturdays. Now this year Moore is the chef.
Harbaugh also took defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him to Los Angeles, meaning Moore had to fill both offensive and defensive coordinator positions. To fill his spot as offensive coordinator, Moore promoted Kirk Campbell, who spent last season as the team’s quarterbacks coach. On the defensive side, replacing Minter will be Wink Martindale, who has bounced around the NFL since 2004. Moore has not announced who will be taking over for Connor Stalions as the team’s director of sign stealing.
As if all that wasn’t enough for Moore to have on his plate, he’ll also have to figure out who will be the team’s starting quarterback after J.J. McCarthy declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and was taken in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings. Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, and Jadyn Davis are all in the mix to take the snaps for the maize and blue this year. No matter who starts for Michigan, opponents can expect a steady diet of handoffs to running back Donovan Edwards.
Unlike recent seasons, the non-conference schedule for the Wolverines isn’t a total cakewalk. Actually this season, Michigan has a more challenging schedule outside of the Big Ten than Ohio State, who normally tests themselves before conference play but couldn’t really put any interesting non-conference games on their schedule in 2024. Then again, with the CFP expanding to 12 teams this year, this is going to be a season unlike any other for everybody.
Since we still have around a month until the start of the season, why not try and predict how Michigan’s season is going to play out? These win/loss predictions are a stab in the dark because this season is going to provide so much that we have never seen before. At least this will be an interesting exercise to look back on at the end of the season.
The Bulldogs suffered a huge loss a few weeks ago when head coach Jeff Tedford announced he was stepping down due to health concerns, leaving Tim Skipper as the team’s interim head coach. Last year Fresno State actually went to West Lafayette and beat Purdue in their season opener, and will return starting quarterback Mikey Keene. Despite Michigan having a number of holes to fill on both sides of the football, they should be too much for the Bulldogs. WIN
The only other time these two prestigious programs have met was back in the 2005 Rose Bowl, where Vince Young led the Longhorns to a thrilling 38-37 victory. Texas won’t have Vince Young in this one, but they’ll have Quinn Ewers, who should get a pair of gold pants from Ohio State if he is able to lead the Longhorns to victory in Ann Arbor.
In all seriousness, Texas will enter this game as the more complete team. Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns headed in the right direction, as evidenced by Texas earning a spot in last year’s College Football Playoff before losing to Washington in the semifinal. The Wolverines will give a spirited effort in this one, it’s just the questions at quarterback and some of the departures on the defensive side of the football are going to be too much to overcome. LOSS
Do you really think Butch Jones and the Red Wolves are leaving Michigan with a victory? If so, I have some bridges to sell you. This will look a lot like 2022 when Arkansas State lost 45-12 to Ohio State in Columbus. WIN
Welcome to the Big Ten, USC. This will mark the first conference game for the Trojans, and they’ll have a little extra time to prepare for Michigan since they’ll be coming off a bye after starting the season with games against LSU and Utah State. I’m just not sure the week off is going to matter much since it’s not going to fix their defense, which was decimated by defensive coordinator Alex Grinch before he was fired last season.
Quarterback Miller Moss could put up some big numbers for the Trojans this year in Lincoln Riley’s offense. The problem for USC is they just aren’t as tough or as sound as Michigan. I look at the Trojans as the third-best of the four new Big Ten teams this year. This feels like a game where Edwards wears down the USC defense in the second half, much like he did to Ohio State two years ago in Columbus. WIN
Since 1986, Minnesota has only beaten Michigan twice in the 29 battles for the Little Brown Jug. P.J. Fleck hasn’t done anything to make me think he is going to snap a four-game losing streak against the Wolverines. Even if this contest was in Minneapolis I’d still be taking Michigan since they are undoubtedly the better team. Fleck needs more than a boat to row, he is going to need an armada. WIN
A week before Ohio State heads out to Oregon, Michigan will hit the road for the first time in 2024, traveling to Seattle for a title game rematch with Washington. There are tons of similarities between these teams since they’ll both be replacing their head coach, searching for a new quarterback, and trying to replace a number of key starters on both sides of the football.
Not only is Seattle a tough place to play, but the Huskies have landed some talented transfers, which include Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers and Arizona running back Jonah Coleman. The Wolverines are likely a little better team, I’m just not convinced they can handle a long trip out west in a tough environment in their first road game of the season. Michigan drops a close one. LOSS
Even though they’ll be coming off a predicted loss, at least the Wolverines will have a bye week before hitting the road again, this time for a shorter trip to Champaign to take on Bret Bielema’s Fighting Illini. There’s no questioning that Bielema has done a great job since taking over as head coach of Illinois, the problem is his team doesn’t have the depth or talent that Michigan does. The Fighting Illini will provide some resistance before the Wolverines pull away a little in the second half. WIN
Even though this is a rivalry game, it doesn’t feel like it’ll be close. Michigan has won the last two meetings between the in-state foes by a combined score of 78-7. Sparty made a strong coaching hire by bringing in Jonathan Smith from Oregon State, it’s just the problem for Smith is Mel Tucker left the program in shambles and it is going to take some time to rebuild. While Michigan State has been able to pull some upsets of Michigan, this doesn’t feel like one of those years. WIN
The last time Oregon visited Michigan Stadium the Ducks trounced the Wolverines 39-7. Now I’m not saying Oregon is going to win this one by 32 points, but they are going to head back to Eugene with a victory. The Oregon offense is too explosive for a strong Michigan defense to contain, while Dan Lanning is assembling a defense that has a nasty streak. The Ducks show why they are seen as one of the favorites to not only make the College Football Playoff but win it all. LOSS
I know Curt Cignetti is a helluva football coach and Indiana made one of the best hires of the coaching carousel when they brought him to replace Tom Allen. While I have a ton of respect for Cignetti, that doesn’t mean I think he is going to upset Michigan in his first year in Bloomington. Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke and the Hoosiers are going to have to play the game of their lives if they want to shock the Wolverines. WIN
Normally you could make a case for Michigan looking ahead to Ohio State in this spot. That likely won’t be the case this year since the Wolverines will come into this game off a bye week. Moore will have his team rested and ready to take care of business before turning their attention to the Buckeyes. David Braun has been a nice story for Northwestern after taking over for Pat Fitzgerald, but the Wildcats aren’t at the level of Michigan when it comes to depth and talent. WIN
Of course, being an Ohio State homer blog, it should be obvious what direction I’m leading with this. There is good reasoning for picking the Buckeyes to win, though. Michigan will be rebuilding a little bit after their national championship season, while Ohio State is putting everything into this year. Ryan Day knows he is in big trouble if he loses a fourth straight game to TTUN.
What will be interesting to see is if positioning for the College Football Playoff plays into the strategy for either team in this game. What if it looks like they are going to meet in the Big Ten Championship Game the following week? This is the new landscape of college football with an expanded playoff, which makes this year and next season so fascinating to watch because there is a lot more trial and error as teams adjust to the playoff being 12 teams.
Unlike Michigan’s revenge tour a few years ago, the Buckeyes do get their revenge on the Wolverines for the last three years. So many key players on defense came back to beat Michigan, while the Ohio State offense should be one of the best in the country with their collection of top-quality skill position players. LOSS
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Set Number: X164476 TK1
How will the Wolverines follow up their national championship season?
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about Ohio State’s rivals. Michigan is the defending national champion, but there has been a lot of change in Ann Arbor. What does that mean for the season, the Big Ten, and the Buckeyes? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”That Team Up North” articles here.
The last three years have not been kind to Ohio State fans who love to see failures on the football field from Michigan. The Wolverines beat Ohio State the last three seasons, won the Big Ten in each of those years, and made three straight College Football Playoffs. Then after beating Alabama at the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2024, Michigan easily took care of business in the title game against Washington to give Jim Harbaugh a national championship before he returned to the NFL coaching ranks.
Despite earning the national title back in January, the last few months of 2024 might not be nearly as fun for Michigan. With Harbaugh now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, Sherrone Moore is officially the head coach of the Wolverines. While Moore did find success during his time as acting head coach during two separate Harbaugh suspensions in 2023, this year is going to be different for Moore since he is officially the guy in Ann Arbor. Last season Harbaugh was cooking up the game plans and Moore was serving up the meals on Saturdays. Now this year Moore is the chef.
Harbaugh also took defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him to Los Angeles, meaning Moore had to fill both offensive and defensive coordinator positions. To fill his spot as offensive coordinator, Moore promoted Kirk Campbell, who spent last season as the team’s quarterbacks coach. On the defensive side, replacing Minter will be Wink Martindale, who has bounced around the NFL since 2004. Moore has not announced who will be taking over for Connor Stalions as the team’s director of sign stealing.
As if all that wasn’t enough for Moore to have on his plate, he’ll also have to figure out who will be the team’s starting quarterback after J.J. McCarthy declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and was taken in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings. Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, and Jadyn Davis are all in the mix to take the snaps for the maize and blue this year. No matter who starts for Michigan, opponents can expect a steady diet of handoffs to running back Donovan Edwards.
Unlike recent seasons, the non-conference schedule for the Wolverines isn’t a total cakewalk. Actually this season, Michigan has a more challenging schedule outside of the Big Ten than Ohio State, who normally tests themselves before conference play but couldn’t really put any interesting non-conference games on their schedule in 2024. Then again, with the CFP expanding to 12 teams this year, this is going to be a season unlike any other for everybody.
Since we still have around a month until the start of the season, why not try and predict how Michigan’s season is going to play out? These win/loss predictions are a stab in the dark because this season is going to provide so much that we have never seen before. At least this will be an interesting exercise to look back on at the end of the season.
Aug. 29 - Fresno State
The Bulldogs suffered a huge loss a few weeks ago when head coach Jeff Tedford announced he was stepping down due to health concerns, leaving Tim Skipper as the team’s interim head coach. Last year Fresno State actually went to West Lafayette and beat Purdue in their season opener, and will return starting quarterback Mikey Keene. Despite Michigan having a number of holes to fill on both sides of the football, they should be too much for the Bulldogs. WIN
Sept. 7 - Texas
The only other time these two prestigious programs have met was back in the 2005 Rose Bowl, where Vince Young led the Longhorns to a thrilling 38-37 victory. Texas won’t have Vince Young in this one, but they’ll have Quinn Ewers, who should get a pair of gold pants from Ohio State if he is able to lead the Longhorns to victory in Ann Arbor.
In all seriousness, Texas will enter this game as the more complete team. Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns headed in the right direction, as evidenced by Texas earning a spot in last year’s College Football Playoff before losing to Washington in the semifinal. The Wolverines will give a spirited effort in this one, it’s just the questions at quarterback and some of the departures on the defensive side of the football are going to be too much to overcome. LOSS
Sept. 14 - Arkansas State
Do you really think Butch Jones and the Red Wolves are leaving Michigan with a victory? If so, I have some bridges to sell you. This will look a lot like 2022 when Arkansas State lost 45-12 to Ohio State in Columbus. WIN
Sept. 21 - USC
Welcome to the Big Ten, USC. This will mark the first conference game for the Trojans, and they’ll have a little extra time to prepare for Michigan since they’ll be coming off a bye after starting the season with games against LSU and Utah State. I’m just not sure the week off is going to matter much since it’s not going to fix their defense, which was decimated by defensive coordinator Alex Grinch before he was fired last season.
Quarterback Miller Moss could put up some big numbers for the Trojans this year in Lincoln Riley’s offense. The problem for USC is they just aren’t as tough or as sound as Michigan. I look at the Trojans as the third-best of the four new Big Ten teams this year. This feels like a game where Edwards wears down the USC defense in the second half, much like he did to Ohio State two years ago in Columbus. WIN
Sept. 28 - Minnesota
Since 1986, Minnesota has only beaten Michigan twice in the 29 battles for the Little Brown Jug. P.J. Fleck hasn’t done anything to make me think he is going to snap a four-game losing streak against the Wolverines. Even if this contest was in Minneapolis I’d still be taking Michigan since they are undoubtedly the better team. Fleck needs more than a boat to row, he is going to need an armada. WIN
Oct. 5 - at Washington
A week before Ohio State heads out to Oregon, Michigan will hit the road for the first time in 2024, traveling to Seattle for a title game rematch with Washington. There are tons of similarities between these teams since they’ll both be replacing their head coach, searching for a new quarterback, and trying to replace a number of key starters on both sides of the football.
Not only is Seattle a tough place to play, but the Huskies have landed some talented transfers, which include Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers and Arizona running back Jonah Coleman. The Wolverines are likely a little better team, I’m just not convinced they can handle a long trip out west in a tough environment in their first road game of the season. Michigan drops a close one. LOSS
Oct. 19 - at Illinois
Even though they’ll be coming off a predicted loss, at least the Wolverines will have a bye week before hitting the road again, this time for a shorter trip to Champaign to take on Bret Bielema’s Fighting Illini. There’s no questioning that Bielema has done a great job since taking over as head coach of Illinois, the problem is his team doesn’t have the depth or talent that Michigan does. The Fighting Illini will provide some resistance before the Wolverines pull away a little in the second half. WIN
Oct. 26 - Michigan State
Even though this is a rivalry game, it doesn’t feel like it’ll be close. Michigan has won the last two meetings between the in-state foes by a combined score of 78-7. Sparty made a strong coaching hire by bringing in Jonathan Smith from Oregon State, it’s just the problem for Smith is Mel Tucker left the program in shambles and it is going to take some time to rebuild. While Michigan State has been able to pull some upsets of Michigan, this doesn’t feel like one of those years. WIN
Nov. 2 - Oregon
The last time Oregon visited Michigan Stadium the Ducks trounced the Wolverines 39-7. Now I’m not saying Oregon is going to win this one by 32 points, but they are going to head back to Eugene with a victory. The Oregon offense is too explosive for a strong Michigan defense to contain, while Dan Lanning is assembling a defense that has a nasty streak. The Ducks show why they are seen as one of the favorites to not only make the College Football Playoff but win it all. LOSS
Nov. 9 - at Indiana
I know Curt Cignetti is a helluva football coach and Indiana made one of the best hires of the coaching carousel when they brought him to replace Tom Allen. While I have a ton of respect for Cignetti, that doesn’t mean I think he is going to upset Michigan in his first year in Bloomington. Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke and the Hoosiers are going to have to play the game of their lives if they want to shock the Wolverines. WIN
Nov. 23 - Northwestern
Normally you could make a case for Michigan looking ahead to Ohio State in this spot. That likely won’t be the case this year since the Wolverines will come into this game off a bye week. Moore will have his team rested and ready to take care of business before turning their attention to the Buckeyes. David Braun has been a nice story for Northwestern after taking over for Pat Fitzgerald, but the Wildcats aren’t at the level of Michigan when it comes to depth and talent. WIN
Nov. 30 - at Ohio State
Of course, being an Ohio State homer blog, it should be obvious what direction I’m leading with this. There is good reasoning for picking the Buckeyes to win, though. Michigan will be rebuilding a little bit after their national championship season, while Ohio State is putting everything into this year. Ryan Day knows he is in big trouble if he loses a fourth straight game to TTUN.
What will be interesting to see is if positioning for the College Football Playoff plays into the strategy for either team in this game. What if it looks like they are going to meet in the Big Ten Championship Game the following week? This is the new landscape of college football with an expanded playoff, which makes this year and next season so fascinating to watch because there is a lot more trial and error as teams adjust to the playoff being 12 teams.
Unlike Michigan’s revenge tour a few years ago, the Buckeyes do get their revenge on the Wolverines for the last three years. So many key players on defense came back to beat Michigan, while the Ohio State offense should be one of the best in the country with their collection of top-quality skill position players. LOSS
Predicted regular season record for Michigan: 8-4
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