ANN ARBOR, Mich. – We’ll know by the end of this weekend if Michigan is going back to the College Football Playoff.
OK, maybe that’s a little strong. A lot can happen in the second half of the season. But it really feels like Saturday night’s matchup at USC will set the course for the rest of Michigan’s 2025 campaign.
The Wolverines come into this weekend with a 4-1 record. Their only loss is respectable -- a 24-13 final on the road against No. 6 Oklahoma. Their best win came at Nebraska -- a solid team with a 4-1 record.
The second half of the schedule sets up nicely. Road games against Michigan State and Maryland will certainly be a challenge, but if the Wolverines can win at USC, then they should win in those places, too.
It all comes back to USC.
A loss to the Trojans would deal a major blow to Michigan’s playoff chances. They would need to win each of their final six games, including a home showdown with No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 29.
The Buckeyes look like the best team in the country once again, with an accurate quarterback, an embarrassment of offensive weapons, and a suffocating defense. Michigan doesn’t want to go into The Game needing a win to get in.
Michigan wouldn’t be dead, but a loss to USC would put its playoff hopes on life support.
A win, on the other hand, changes everything.
The Wolverines are already ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll, suggesting they’re a fringe playoff contender at this very moment.
Beating USC would give Michigan two quality road wins just six games into the season, with these five games before Ohio State:
- vs. Washington
- at Michigan State
- vs. Purdue
- vs. Northwestern (at Wrigley Field)
- at Maryland
Again, Michigan State and Maryland will be tough road trips, and Washington is certainly no slouch, even in Ann Arbor.
But none of those games will be as difficult as going out to the West Coast to face the No. 1 offense in the country.
Michigan’s win over Nebraska, despite a slew of self-inflicted errors, impressed me enough to consider the Wolverines a playoff contender. But the lackluster performance against Wisconsin dimmed that enthusiasm.
Who are these Wolverines? We know they’ve got a great running game, a quarterback with unlimited raw talent, and a hungry defense.
That’s enough to say the Wolverines are dangerous, but are they playoff contenders? Tune into Local 4 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to find out.