Where will Michigan football be ranked heading into 2025 after a disappointing 2024 season?
Well, early predictions are high on the Wolverines. A day after Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the 2024 national championship to become the first winner of the 12-team era, the Wolverines popped up in a flurry of far-too-early college football rankings for next season.
Michigan finished the year 8-5 in the first year under Sherrone Moore. Instead of putting together a strong national title defense, Michigan wilted because of one of the worst offenses in the country and lost to Texas, Washington, Illinois, Oregon and Indiana to sink any hopes of potentially defending their crown.
However, the Wolverines finished the year with two massive wins and great momentum on the recruiting path. Michigan beat Ohio State 13-10 in a wild regular-season finale upset and then handled Alabama, the first team left out of the playoff, in the ReliaQuest Bowl. During the final month of the season, Michigan picked up a commitment from five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood as the potential answer to the offensive woes.
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So where will Michigan be ranked when the season starts in August? Here’s a few of the rankings predictions from national news outlets.
USA TODAY’s Paul Hyerberg and Erick Smith ranked Michigan 18th. They believe Michigan will be better on offense and have the depth defensively to replace future first-round picks like Mason Graham and Will Johnson.
“If the home stretch of the 2024 season is to be believed, Michigan is poised to reclaim its place as one of the top teams in the Big Ten,” USA TODAY wrote. “One reason for optimism is the clear upgrade at QB, whether it’s Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene or five-star freshman Bryce Underwood under center.”
The Athletic also has Michigan ranked 18th with their eyes on the quarterback situation between Underwood and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene.
“The Wolverines are on the upswing after finishing the season with wins over Ohio State and Alabama,” The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel wrote. “The big question: Will five-star freshman Bryce Underwood immediately become QB1? He’ll have to beat out Keene, a three-year FBS starter.”
ESPN has Michigan ranked 21st, pointing to the end-of-season momentum. ESPN’s Mark Schlabath also pointed out the hiring of new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and wins in the transfer portal like picking up defensive tackle Damon Payne as reasons for optimism.
“If Michigan is going to build on that momentum, it will have to get better quarterback play from freshman Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300, or Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene,” Schlabath wrote. “Moore fired offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell and replaced him with Chip Lindsey, who called plays at North Carolina the previous two seasons. Lindsey will try to revamp an offense that failed to produce a 40-yard passing play in 2024.”
The content arm of college sports’ governing body has Michigan ranked 23rd in their fresh batch of 2025 rankings. NCAA’s Stan Becton said Michigan’s ranking was the hardest to place of any of the top 25 teams.
“Michigan is the biggest question mark in these rankings,” Becton wrote. “Is five-star incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood the answer? If so, the Wolverines will build on late-season momentum in coach Sherrone Moore’s first year.”
Fox’s RJ Young is the biggest believer in the Wolverines, with Michigan ranked at No. 12 in his preliminary 2025 standings.
“After signing the nation’s No. 1 QB in the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood, and former Fresno State QB Mikey Keene, Sherrone Moore has two ready options to lift the Wolverines’ most worrisome, underperforming position last season,” Young wrote.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football ranking: Where Wolverines sit in early 2025 guesses
