Ready for the 2024/25 Season with the Michigan Wolverines? The Minnesota Golden Gophers won five national championships between 1934 and 1941, one of the most dominant stretches in the history of college football. Coach Bernie Bierman guided the program throughout that run; in more recent years, repeating has become more difficult.
The Georgia Bulldogs pulled it off for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before losing in the SEC Championship and falling out of the top four in the CFP standings, and thus losing a shot at what would have been the first “three peat” since Minnesota’s run from 1934-1936.
It’s hard to repeat as national champions, and it’s even harder when you lose your coach. The Michigan Wolverines won a national title last year, only to watch coach Jim Harbaugh head to the NFL for a shot at coaching the Los Angeles Chargers and for a shot at avoiding extended NCAA penalties from his misdeeds with the Wolverines.
Let’s look at some factors to consider as you decide whether to include Michigan’s repeat quest in your NCAAF betting for this fall.
2024 College Football Championship: Can Michigan Wolverines Repeat as Champions?
The Wolverines do have a number of top players coming back. Cornerback Will Johnson, defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, tight end Colson Loveland and tailback Donovan Edwards all return, for example. They have lost a lot of talent into the NFL and the transfer portal, but that’s a common occurrence across the sport.
Their defensive line and linebacker combination is one of the best in college football, and Johnson can lock down just about any receiver he covers. The culture remains strong even after Harbaugh’s departure. ESPN has Michigan ranked #6 in its SP+ rankings, just another reason to think about the Wolverines in your futures betting.
However, one factor that will make life hard for Michigan is going from four teams to 12 in the playoff. It’s true that one (or even two) regular-season losses and conference title game losses are no longer likely to endanger a Power 4 conference team’s chances at advancing to the playoffs.
Although, going through three, or even four, rounds of playoffs after a regular season means more chances for a team to falter along the way.
J.J. McCarthy
Another factor is the Michigan quarterback situation. Losing J.J. McCarthy to the NFL draft was just part of the problem. McCarthy, who will join the Minnesota Vikings this fall, was not as dominant as some of the other quarterbacks have been in college football championships recently, but his steady hand will be missed.
Another part of the situation is the lack of clarity as to the 2024 starter. Alex Orji looks like the front-runner, but no one really knows his potential, as he hasn’t gotten reps for the Wolverine offense.
McCarthy was far from the only player lost to the pro ranks, as 13 Wolverines were drafted by NFL teams and several other crucial contributors signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents.
Among all the Power 4 teams, the Wolverines rank dead last in rated returning production – 126th in the nation. Their O-line won’t be as good as it was last year, when it dominated opponents week in and week out.
Michigan Wolverines College Football Odds to Win
Michigan Potential Risks
Let’s break down the Wolverines’ regular-season schedule and look at some potential pitfalls.
They open at home against Fresno State in what should be a nice prime-time warm up. In Week 2, though, they welcome the Texas Longhorns in what could have been a national-championship rematch had the Longhorns not fallen to Washington in the national semifinals.
Texas returns head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Quinn Ewers. Coming to Michigan Stadium and winning is far from a given, but the Longhorns picked up a huge road win at Alabama last year in Week 2.
Week 3
This week brings the Arkansas State Red Wolves to town for Homecoming. After that tomato can, though, the Wolverines welcome USC as they open Big Ten play. The Trojans don’t often bother much with defense, but if the Wolverines struggled to stop Texas in Week 2, they might also struggle to stop Lincoln Riley’s high-octane attack.
It would definitely be odd to see USC and Michigan approach 90 combined points in what is their first conference showdown, but given how well USC can score – and how frequently they give up points – this could turn into a barn burner that ends up either way.
Week 5
The week involves a visit from Minnesota – but the Golden Gophers are nowhere near their program best from the 1930s and 1940s, so this game should give the Wolverines a bit of a breather. However, things get hard again the next week with a trip to Washington.
The Huskies don’t have head coach Kalen DeBoer or quarterback Michael Penix Jr, but they will have a hungry fan base and a lot of talent at other skill positions waiting to get revenge for that loss in the national title game.
Week 7
This one brings what will be a welcome bye at this point in the season. A trip to Illinois shouldn’t be a problem, especially after the bye, but the Illini’s talent on both sides of the ball surprised a lot of teams last year and should push Michigan again this time around.
Home dates against Michigan State and Oregon mark Weeks 9 and 10. You never, never know how the rivalry game with the Spartans will turn out. A visit from Oregon doesn’t mean a visit from Bo Nix, but the Ducks will still have another high-octane offense.
So far, this means two games that would be very easy to lose and two or three more where the Wolverines could fall short if things don’t go their way.
Weeks 11-13
This one’s give the Wolverines their longest pause in competitive strength since the early days of the season as they go to Indiana, have their second bye week, and welcome Northwestern to Ann Arbor.
Weeks 14
The week brings a doozy, though, as they head to Ohio Stadium to round out their regular season against the Buckeyes, who have been smarting for a chance to beat Michigan and may see their opportunity thanks to a program change and the depleted Michigan roster.
The upgrade in conference competition alone will make life harder for Michigan. The fact that a 15-0 run will now just get you two rounds into the playoffs, with a potential national championship game on deck, makes the situation even more difficult.
The continuity at other programs, in the Big Ten as well as elsewhere in the AP Top 25, means that there are other teams with systems, players and programs in place that put them ahead of the Wolverines.
IT’S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/g81DFBZuH6
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 9, 2024
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