Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore cheer up the student section during warm up before the Texas game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Klatt's Keys: What Michigan must achieve to call 2025 a success

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Seth Berry | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Even with the way Michigan football ended its 2024 season by pulling off huge upset victories over Ohio State and Alabama in the final two weeks, as a whole, 8-5 is not the expectation for the Wolverines' program—especially one that has won three of the past four Big Ten titles and claimed a National Championship in 2023.

In fact, motivation to improve on last year's record and get the Wolverines back towards the top of college football is part of the reason senior fullback/ tight end Max Bredeson came back this year, even while having a chance to go pro after 2024.

"Part of it is, you don't want to be the captain that went 8-5. I love this place too much to leave it like that," Bredeson recently told BTN at Big Ten Media Days when asked why he came back.

The reality is, while head coach Sherrone Moore bounced back in a big way at the end of last season while leading the team to a couple of big wins, along with having continued momentum on the recruiting trail, another subpar season would leave Wolverine fans wondering whether Michigan can return to the top under his leadership, or at the very least, wondering how long it might take.

On the other hand, the good news for Moore is that a season where Michigan is back in the College Football Playoff mix would make the bump in the road last year feel like it's far in the past. Fox's Joel Klatt agrees, saying if the Wolverines could at least be in the mix for a CFP berth this season, it would signal Moore is leading the program in an upward direction.

"Last year was clearly a bump in the road in Ann Arbor. In Year 2 under Sherrone Moore, expectations will be higher," Klatt wrote. "Maybe not as high as they are in Alabama, but this fan base is used to being in the top echelon. You can’t be a top program and not expect to be in the CFP mix. If Michigan is in the CFP mix, I think many would agree that Moore would be building toward something in Ann Arbor. He has a young quarterback in Bryce Underwood to build around, which is promising. If Michigan is 9-3 or 10-2 at the end of the regular season, that would be a good sign and last year will be quickly forgotten."

Being in the CFP mix is what most national analysts have seemed to project the Wolverines to end up in 2025, so as long as the team can live up to those expectations, most in Ann Arbor would likely feel optimistic about the future.