The calendar has flipped to July, which means undivided attention and focus can be paid to the upcoming 2024 college football season.
Conference media days are now only days away. It will be our first legitimate look at the sport’s new landscape after this offseason’s significant realignment. Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington will attend a Big Ten media day schedule that now includes 18 teams, while Texas and Oklahoma will make their first appearances as SEC competitors. It will be a harsh dose of reality that will only grow stronger when the season kicks off in late August.
Related: One Big Ten game to watch each week of the 2024 football season
While there is still some more movement to come on the class of 2025 recruiting trail, right now it is all-systems-go toward the fast-approaching season.
Our preview work here at Badgers Wire will continue throughout the month with in-depth looks at every Big Ten team and position group. It will provide a comprehensive look at what Wisconsin will face both in 2024 and beyond.
Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers — Iowa Hawkeyes — Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Maryland Terrapins — Michigan State Spartans — USC Trojans — UCLA Bruins — Washington Huskies — Michigan Wolverines
Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends — Defensive Line — Linebackers — Cornerbacks — Safeties
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Next up in our preview series is last year’s national champion, the Michigan Wolverines.
The 2024 Wolverines will have a different look than the team that hoisted the trophy in January. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is gone to the NFL, as are most of the team’s top players on both sides of the football.
Normally, a program fresh off an undefeated season would warrant serious consideration in the conference and national landscape. The 2024 Wolverines are not getting that praise due to the extreme circumstance of their offseason.
So, when the season begins, what should fans expect to see from Michigan?
Coaching Staff
Jan 27, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore addresses the basketball crowd during a time out against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Sherrone Moore (ranked No. 10 in Big Ten)
Offensive Coordinator: Kirk Campbell (ranked No. 13 in Big Ten)
Defensive Coordinator: Wink Martindale (ranked No. 6 in Big Ten)
Recent History
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates with the CFP Championship trophy after beating the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Not much needs to be written in this section. Michigan is fresh off a 15-0, national title season that included sheer domination throughout. The program has won three consecutive Big Ten titles, has reached three straight College Football Playoffs and has beaten rival Ohio State three times in a row. The program is on the top of the sport.
What is more interesting about the Wolverines is their future path. New head coach Sherrone Moore takes over the program after playing such an integral role in its success over the last few seasons. There is belief that Moore will continue the Wolverines’ momentum without much delay.
But even Michigan fans must accept that Moore is not Harbaugh and that he enters 2024 with zero head coaching experience. To assume a maintained level of Big Ten-winning success would be a bit naive.
When considering Michigan’s recent history, the program has cemented itself atop the Big Ten and toward the top of the sport. Getting to that point was a long journey. Maintaining that level will be even more of a challenge.
Offseason Movement
Sep 10, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Maryland Terrapins linebacker Jaishawn Barham (1) during the second half against the Charlotte 49ers at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Transfers In: 8
Transfers Out: 22
Michigan’s offseason was defined by loss. Not necessarily with a host of great players transferring out, but more so a large collection of upperclassmen (and the head coach) leaving for the NFL. Those stars include QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, WR Roman Wilson, most of the offensive line, DL Kris Jenkins, LB Junior Colson and CB Mike Sainristil.
The team is reloading with more high school prospects and underclassmen than transfers. But notable incoming transfers include former Maryland LB Jaishawn Barham and Northwestern LG Josh Priebe.
No offseason movement was more critical than retaining star defensive lineman Mason Graham, running back Donovan Edwards and cornerback Will Johnson. If they were instead considered additions to the Moore era, Michigan’s offseason would be considered a slam-dunk win
Win Total Over/Under
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches a play during the second half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK
Win Total: 9.5
Pick: UNDER (9-3, with wins over Fresno State, Arkansas State, USC, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, Northwestern, Oregon)
A win total of 9.5 with Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, USC and Washington all on the schedule feels a bit steep. The program could excel in the first year under Moore and only finish 8-4 or 9-3. That would reflect more on the current era of the Big Ten than on the quality of this Wolverines team.
The question isn’t if Michigan will be good in 2024. It is whether the program can still contend after all of the changes.
Season Outlook
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
2024 should be a year of progress for Michigan. It should enter the Moore era with a mostly-blank slate and take any big steps forward as good news for the future.
That is unlikely to be the case knowing the college football-viewing public. Michigan will be held to the standard of a defending national champion. That will be a near-impossible bar to climb given its gauntlet schedule with contests against Ohio State (No. 2 preseason SP+), Oregon (No. 3), Texas (No. 4), Washington (No. 35) and USC (No. 21).
The season should instead be about the margins. How does Moore do in his first full recruiting cycle? How do his top assistants perform? Does the offense miss a beat with his duties expanding? And can the program’s old-school style still work after losing most of the 2023 team to graduation?
The outlook is an 8-4 or 9-3 season with significant conclusions made about the future of the program under Moore.
Badgers Wire Bowl Projection
Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines interim head coach Sherrone Moore talks on the sideline during the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Ohio State lost 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Bowl Projection: Cheeze-It Citrus Bowl vs. LSU
A 9-3 record and Citrus Bowl appearance would be a solid season given the circumstances. It would also mean the program likely banked one marquee win against either Ohio State, Texas or Oregon. Those are the program-building results more so than defeating Maryland and Rutgers.
Michigan will be within shouting distance of the College Football Playoff race. Its results against those top teams will decide whether it makes the cut.
What Wisconsin Fans Should Know
Wisconsin does not play Michigan in 2024. But the program is yet another in a fascinating position entering 2024. It doesn’t return its head coach and a talent-filled roster with national title expectations, rather the exact opposite. That means it is another program for Badger fans to monitor as Luke Fickell works to build his program.
Remember, Wisconsin beat Michigan three times in four years from 2017-2020. Then the two programs went in opposite directions.
This new era of the conference could see Wisconsin capitalize on the sport-wide change and return to one of the Big Ten’s upper tiers. It may need to surpass Michigan in order to do so.
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Publish date : 2024-07-21 08:50:00
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