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Ranking Michigan's remaining games by difficulty
Sep 20, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall (23) runs against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Ranking Michigan's remaining games by difficulty

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Luke Hubbard  |  Last updated Sep 26, 2025 10:19 AM ET

The Michigan Wolverines are in the midst of their first bye week and will return to the Big House next weekend to face the Wisconsin Badgers. They still have eight games to play this year, most of which should be fairly easy, but some of which will really challenge them.

Today, I'm going to rank the rest of Michigan's games from most to least difficult.

1. vs Ohio State

This one should be fairly obvious. Ohio State is currently the No. 1 team in the country and this is a huge rivalry. Michigan gets the benefit of playing this one at home and has won the last four matchups, but Ohio State's defense is one of the best in the country and should prove to be a good test. Luckily, Bryce Underwood will have 11 games of experience under his belt by then, so it should be a very entertaining game.

2. at USC

After hosting Wisconsin, the Wolverines will hit the road for arguably their biggest game of the year against USC. The Trojans are red hot and could be undefeated heading into this game. A win over the Trojans would set Michigan up to potentially be undefeated in conference by the time The Game comes around, but a loss would make that final game all the more important.

3. vs Washington

Washington has quietly been one of the best teams in the country this year - they haven't really played anyone super good, though - and by the time this matchup comes around, both teams could potentially find themselves in the AP Top 25. This weekend's matchup between Ohio State and Washington will really tell us how tough this game will be, but once again, Michigan gets the benefit of this game being at home.

4. at Michigan State

Michigan State got off to a 3-0 start before losing to No. 21 USC, 45-31, on the road. They're not going to be a real threat in the Big 10, but they're certainly good enough to give some of the top teams some trouble. This is a road game against a big rival for the Wolverines, so things could get tricky, but they should be able to win.

5. at Maryland

Maryland is 4-0 this season, but has only beaten one Power Four opponent in Wisconsin, and the Badgers are not very good this season. They're on a bye week before playing Washington, which will give us a good litmus test as to how good they really are. They have a dynamic quarterback in Malik Washington, who can sling it, but Michigan should be good enough to win this game.

6. vs Purdue

These last three games could be in any order. The Boilermakers started the season 2-0, but have dropped their last two to USC and Notre Dame by two or more scores. This is another game Michigan should win, especially because they're at home.

7. at Northwestern

Northwestern is 1-2 with big losses to Tulane and Oregon. Their offense has not been good this season, and considering the way the Wolverines' defense has been playing, there's no reason to believe they'll figure it out when Michigan comes to town. This could be No. 8, but it's on the road, so it should be trickier than this final game.

8. vs Wisconsin

The Wolverines' next game is one of the easiest left on the schedule. Wisconsin has two big losses to Alabama and Maryland, and they've only been able to score more than 17 points once, which came against Middle Tennessee. Their offense is bad, and their defense isn't much better, so Michigan should win easily at home next weekend.

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This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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