While Michigan football fans are continuing to bask in the afterglow of winning the national championship for the 2023 season, the rest of the college football world is starting to look forward at who could win it all next year.
Though the Wolverines aren’t considered a favorite to repeat (thanks in large part to schools such as Ohio State loading up via the transfer portal), ESPN believes the maize and blue will have several consequential games in the new season.
According to Heather Dinich’s list of the 12 most important games of 2024 (subscription required), Michigan football has three contests listed. The highest rated is the Week 2 nonconference matchup in Ann Arbor that will certainly capture the attention of the nation.
4. Texas at Michigan, Sept. 7
Last meeting: Texas 38, Michigan 37 (Jan. 1, 2005)
Why it will matter to the committee: Remember No. 1 on this list? If Texas loses at home to Georgia, beating the defending national champs on the road will take on even more importance for the Longhorns’ playoff hopes. You can expect to see a two-loss team in the 12-team field — if not this year, then eventually — because there’s more margin for error. It becomes risky, though, and the committee will continue to scrutinize nonconference wins to separate teams competing for those at-large spots. (…)
Of course, likely the most important game for both the Wolverines and the rival Buckeyes will be their season-end meeting. Each of the last three years, Ohio State was the favorite of many to win and go to the Big Ten Championship (though the maize and blue were favored last year according to the betting odds) but were upended by Michigan all three times.
This year, could the stakes be the same? Dinich notes this game will be more important for OSU than Michigan.
6. Michigan at Ohio State, Nov. 30
Last meeting: Michigan 30, Ohio State 24 (Nov. 25, 2023)
Why it will matter to the committee: As impactful as this game has been, it could lose a bit of its meaning in the selection committee meeting room because conference expansion has created more marquee matchups to help define the Big Ten’s best teams. What was once a November heavyweight matchup between Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan in the Big Ten East has changed to a broader competition without divisions. The Game will still influence how the committee votes on Selection Day, though — and of course the stakes will be high for Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who has lost three straight to the rival Wolverines. (…)
Finally, Dinich has a redux of the last college football game we all just saw, the rematch between the Wolverines and Huskies in Seattle. The first matchup between the teams as Big Ten rivals will not necessarily be one between two highly ranked teams. Both lost a lot of talent (Washington, more so). But it should still influence how the committee sees either team.
9. Michigan at Washington, Oct. 5
Last meeting: Michigan 34, Washington 13 (Jan. 8, 2024)
Why it will matter to the committee: The national championship game that happened earlier this month won’t matter to the selection committee — just ask Georgia, which was excluded from the 2023 top four after one loss and back-to-back national titles. This will matter to the committee because of its implications in the Big Ten championship game, the head-to-head result and seeding for any contenders who don’t win their league. These teams will also look starkly different than what fans remember from the national championship (which is why it doesn’t matter to the committee). (…)
Michigan may not be looked at as a 2024 title contender, which makes sense at this juncture without a clear answer at quarterback and uncertainty of whether or not Jim Harbaugh will remain the head coach. But, if the Wolverines can get any of the above wins, it certainly could help the maize and blue find their way into the newfangled 12-team playoff.