ORLANDO, FL − For Michigan football, one of the strangest months in recent memory has now bumped up against its bowl game, which is generally supposed to be a fun event. Sometimes, it’s the crowning achievement of a season; others, it’s just one final chance to take some momentum into the offseason.

Michigan (9-3) has arrived in Orlando and will begin practice on Saturday, Dec. 27, for its Citrus Bowl matchup with Texas (9-3), a game between two blue-blood programs that few in the Michigan circle are actually focused on.

The team is led by interim coach Biff Poggi after Sherrone Moore was fired earlier this month for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staffer and subsequently arrested for breaking into her house and threatening to kill himself in the ending to a disappointing two years at the helm.

Grading the hire: Kyle Whittingham an upgrade for Michigan, just not a home run

It all forced the Wolverines to conduct a tough coaching search at an awkward time, one that eventually led to the hiring of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who spent Friday in Las Vegas telling his Utes he won’t coach their bowl game. Instead, he was heading down to the Sunshine State to begin making relationships and working on roster retention with his new group.

He signed a five-year deal reportedly worth $8.2 million annually with 75% of his contract guaranteed.

Fitting with the bizarre timeline of it all, Whittingham is expected to be formally introduced at a news conference at a hotel ballroom in Orlando, instead of the typical pomp and circumstance at Michigan’s facilities.

It’s obviously a situation Michigan never wanted to be in. Just like the Citrus Bowl, a nice end-of-season landing spot, but not the College Football Playoff. Texas opened the 2025 season as the No. 1 team in the nation, while Michigan needed to just knock off Ohio State in the final game to be considered. Instead, each side now seeks a 10th win to make their final record look more respectable.

For U-M, it would be the program’s fourth 10-win season in five years, a feat not achieved since the days of Bo Schembechler.

Michigan wasn’t expecting a ton of opt-outs for this game. Poggi said Monday the three expected were edges Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham (both of whom have already declared for the NFL draft) and offensive lineman and captain Gio El-Hadi (who is also likely to declare soon).

On a Texas-based podcast called “The Stampede,” shortly before Christmas, however, Poggi said he wouldn’t be surprised if that changed by this weekend.

“I have to tell you with what’s going on with those here now, we sent them home for Christmas yesterday and, you know, I think there’s a really good chance that we’re going to have many more opt-outs for the game, unfortunately,” Poggi said. “Because we’re in such a state of flux. … (players may feel like) ‘Why do I want to, you know, play in that game?’ And so I can see some of that happening too. And I would tell you on the 26th, we’re probably going to have a significantly different roster than we had yesterday when we sent them home.”

Exactly who has made the trip will become clear Saturday, when the media gets to speak with a handful of team-selected players and observe the first 15 minutes of practice at West Orange High School, just a few miles west of Orlando.

Co-offensive coordinator Steve Casula will call plays after Chip Lindsey left to take the same job at Missouri earlier this month. But for many coaches, this could be the final time they coach at Michigan. It all depends on who Whittingham selects for his new staff.

So with one eye on the future, Michigan is doing its best to stay in the present. There are bowl activities, such as kids day at the Fun Spot America theme park on the schedule, as well as a handful of practices, news conferences and a pep rally the day before the game.

Michigan had a bit more stability Saturday than it did 48 hours ago, now knowing who will usher U-M into the 2026 season. But the 2025 season feels like it’s headed to a strange and anticlimactic conclusion.

Justice Haynes not with Michigan for first Citrus Bowl practice

All signs point to star running back Justice Haynes not playing for the Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl against Texas in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 31 (3 p.m., ABC).

As the Wolverines started their first bowl practice in Winter Garden, Florida, Haynes was not with the team, though a program spokesperson told the Free Press he’s expected to fly down and join the team later. He has not 100% been ruled out, but the likelihood of him suiting up appears low.

He’s eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft after three years in college, and considering he’s coming off surgery, the downside appears to severely outweigh the upside of playing in the Citrus Bowl.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.