Michigan
Why Michigan’s 2024 schedule won’t be as tough as we think
Michigan’s 2024 college football schedule is brutal compared to its 2023 schedule. On top of that, Michigan fans have a ton of questions about the roster heading into the spring game. This combination is a prime breeding ground for pessimism.
There is no question the Wolverines will play some talented teams in the fall. They’ll open the season with Fresno State before hosting Texas. They also play conference newcomers in USC, Oregon and Washington.
While you’d still expect them to win Big Ten matchups against Indiana, Minnesota and Illinois, they have David Braun’s Northwestern team the week before The Game.
They’ll host rival Michigan State in Ann Arbor this season, but take on the Buckeyes on Nov. 30 in Columbus.
Despite the tough competition in 2024, here are some reasons why Michigan’s schedule won’t be as tough as we think.
The toughest opponents are relatively spread out
Unlike last season, Michigan’s 2024 schedule is not as backloaded. Michigan was the far superior team in every game last year up until the Penn State game in November.
Here are what we would consider the tougher games on the schedule, and when and where they’re played this fall.
- Sept. 7: vs. Texas
- Sept. 21: vs. USC
- Oct. 5: @ Washington
- Nov. 2: vs. Oregon
- Nov. 30: @ Ohio State
This year’s team won’t need to artificially hype themselves up for more than half the games this season. There are some big challenges on the schedule, but none of them are back-to-back, which is a relief for a team like Michigan that just lost a lot of talent to the NFL.
Most of the tougher games are at the Big House
As you can tell from above, many of the bigger games on the schedule are at the friendly confines of Michigan Stadium this year, and that is a huge benefit.
In 2023, Michigan had one of its toughest games of the season in one of the toughest environments at Penn State. We won’t necessarily see too many hostile road environments this year either, as Michigan will host Texas, USC, Oregon and Michigan State in 2024.
Of course, The Game is in Columbus this season, and Washington does provide a good home crowd, but outside of that, tough road games are nonexistent for the Wolverines.
The Big House might not always be as loud as some other stadiums, but coming off a national championship, Michigan Stadium should be as energetic this fall as it ever has been. Regardless, the Wolverines haven’t lost at home since 2019, so it has given the team the juice it needs to succeed on the field in recent years.
Texas is in Week 2
An early season game against Texas also allows the Wolverines to evaluate where they need to improve early. We will learn about the offensive line and how it holds up against some talented defensive linemen, and we’ll also get a chance to see how Michigan’s secondary holds up against Texas’ receivers and returning quarterback, Quinn Ewers.
The bright side to a big game like this early in the year is that it’s a non-conference game. Even if Michigan loses, the hope of winning another conference championship is still alive. That could be a big boost to the team’s mentality in Big Ten play.
All of that is great prep work for what’s to come later in the season. Unlike The Game, this one won’t be for all the marbles.
The loss of big-name quarterbacks
Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams are all joining J.J. McCarthy in the NFL. While fans are understandably disappointed and uncertain about the future of quarterback play at Michigan, there are also questions for other teams joining the Big Ten.
While there’s a lot of hype around Miller Moss at USC, especially after his Holiday Bowl performance, it isn’t a done deal his success will translate to a full season of play.
Dan Lanning brought Dillon Gabriel to Oregon this offseason, who spent five seasons at UCF and Oklahoma before landing with the Ducks. He’s an experienced and talented player, but he will still need to learn with a new coach in Eugene. As Michigan fans know all too well, Dante Moore also transferred to Oregon, we’ll have to see how that quarterback battle plays out.
No one knows what to expect at Washington this season, at quarterback and in general. The Huskies very well could be this year’s TCU.
You can even lump in Ohio State here, as nobody knows if Will Howard will be better than Kyle McCord was a year ago. While McCord played well, Ryan Day made it clear it wasn’t good enough for him, so he picked up Howard from Kansas State to be the program’s — and his — savior. But will he really be able to turn the tide in the conference? There are plenty of question marks at the position conference-wide heading into the fall.
The offseason may not have fixed what’s broken in Columbus
Ohio State brought in some talent from the transfer portal, like the aforementioned Will Howard, as well as Chip Kelly at offensive coordinator.
The thing is, we know how important the run game is when predicting the winner in November. Michigan has Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings returning, giving them at least two strong options despite losing Blake Corum. Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson is a good player, but is Chip Kelly going to be a coach that puts the game in his hands on fourth and short?
We’ll have to wait and see the answer. But we do know Mason Grant and Kenneth Grant will be there to stop him, if so.
The schedule could have been worse
Michigan will travel to Washington in October. Despite playing the Huskies in the National Championship, we know this season’s Huskies won’t look anything like they did last season.
Had Kalen DeBoer stayed with the program, the trip to Washington would be completely different. Instead, Jedd Fisch is leading the Huskies in his first season and is trying to keep the ship in the right direction.
Michigan State will have a better coach this season, but it’s nice to know Michigan just came off a 49-0 win in East Lansing last season. The guys playing for Michigan this year had plenty of playing time against the Spartans last year. It’s easy to see a different year where that game looms larger on the schedule.
So yes, there’s plenty to be concerned about on Michigan’s schedule, but it may not be as bad as we expect it to be.
Michigan
Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore
WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.
The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).
Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.
The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.
Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”
“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.
Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.
“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.
Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.
“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.
“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.
Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.
“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”
“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.
Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.
As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.
He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.
–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond
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Michigan
What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors
Sherrone Moore fired: Who could replace him at Michigan football?
Michigan beat writer Tony Garcia on who the Wolverines could target after firing Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.
It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.
It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.
Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:
A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?
It’s possible.
Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.
Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.
It’s early.
Michigan still has time to make a case.
But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.
DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.
But never say never in college football in 2025.
If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.
Check out that list of candidates here.
Michigan
Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator
A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).
The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.
He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.
Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”
Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).
Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.
After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
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