The 2024 season has come to a close for the maize and blue following a shocking 19-13 victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. At kickoff, the Wolverines were 17-point underdogs according to DraftKings, making this the biggest per-spread upset of the 2024-25 bowl season so far. This win of course comes on the heels of a 13-10 upset over archrival Ohio State in Columbus.
Let's break down the 2024 season for the Wolverines. The defending national champions finished with an 8-5 record which in a place like Ann Arbor, is no cause for celebration. However we need to first dive into two important notes:
First, this was a completely different team than the one who went 15-0 last season. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh? Gone to the NFL. Star QB JJ McCarthy? Top-10 draft pick. All-American Guard Zak Zinter? Cleveland Browns. Leading rusher and leading receiver Blake Corum and Roman Wilson? You guessed it -- they're both playing on Sundays. There's more by the way: Junior Colson, Mike Sainsristil and Kris Jenkins, all integral parts of a historic 2023 defense, are all currently in NFL locker rooms. Yes, even blue blood programs have rebuilding years.
Secondly, Michigan's schedule this year was nothing short of brutal. Three of their five losses came against teams that made the College Football Playoff (Texas, Oregon and Indiana). The other two defeats came on the road against quality opponents Illinois and Washington. You can argue whether or not Washington was truly a "quality opponent" this year, but a trip to Husky Stadium is never an easy task no matter what kind of season they are having.
Following the win over Ohio State, the overwhelming sentiment was that Ohio State simply failed. Very little credit was given to the gutsy performance put forth by Sherrone Moore and his Wolverines. Now, after beating an Alabama team who just three weeks ago was one spot away from the College Football Playoff, I think it's time we give Coach Moore and the Wolverines their flowers.
Going into the offseason there is still lots of work to do in Ann Arbor, particularly on offense. Finishing the regular season 127th in yards per game, and 100th in points per game is simply not good enough. Sherrone Moore and new Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey will need to get creative between now and September. Luckily, a top-10 recruiting class and the #1 overall recruit according to 247Sports certainly doesn't hurt.