After a disappointing 2024, Athlon Sports says the College Football Playoff is “within reach” for an improved Wolverines team this fall — predicting a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten for Michigan, who will ultimately play Florida in the non-playoff Citrus Bowl.

Yes, the maize and blue lost two first-round NFL draft picks at defensive tackle, a second-rounder in cornerback Will Johnson, and a third-round edge rusher in Josaiah Stewart. However, Michigan is still talented, and perhaps scary, on the defensive side of the ball, given who it still has.

Michigan’s 2025 schedule ranked by ESPN SP+! Ohio State is toughest, New Mexico easiest. See the full difficulty breakdown!

Pete Nakos, who covers college football for On3 Sports, believes that OU-Michigan is a very important matchup this year. He ranked the top 10 nonconference games in college football in 2025 and put the Sooners-Wolverines at No. 5.

Nebraska enters 2025 with an expectation of a breakthrough. Even if tough games against Penn State and Michigan become losses, the Cornhuskers have a path to eight or nine wins. That will only come to fruition if the team finds game-to-game consistency it hasn't had in more than a decade.

Texas and Penn State were both ranked in the top-four last year, but because of the format, they did not receive byes into the next round of the CFP. With these new rules that are expected to be put in place, the Longhorns and Nittany Lions would've gotten the bye.