Realistic Expectations for Michigan Football in 2024

The 2023 season couldn’t have gone better for Michigan football.

Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to their first national title in over 20 years with one of the best quarterbacks in school history. JJ McCarthy is gone now, though, as is Blake Corum, so the roster will look different. Oh, and Harbaugh has also moved on to the NFL, as he is now with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The team will be solid, however, but Sherrone Moore takes over a roster that needs a QB1, and I’m not sure Alex Orji is that guy. He does get Donovan Edwards back and an elite defense to mitigate the loss of McCarthy, Corum, and Harbaugh, but is that enough?

This is probably the least hype a defending national champion has experienced in decades, and yet the Wolverines remain confident they can compete in the revamped Big Ten.

So what are the realistic expectations for this team in 2024?

Looking at the schedule, Michigan should start the year with a win over Fresno State, but I see the Wolverines slipping up in a big Week 2 matchup at home against Texas. They’ll then reel off three straight wins before falling again at Washington and are 4-2 heading into a game at Illinois. They’ll win that and beat Michigan State to get to the bowl, but Oregon will come into the Big House and steal a win. They’ll beat Indiana and Northwestern before (finally) losing to Ohio State in the finals, finishing with a score of 8-4.

Considering everything Michigan lost, you can’t look down on 8-4.