78 days after Sherrone Moore's suspension announcement, Joel Klatt predicts Michigan's fate in 2025 with Bryce Underwood 

Sherrone Moore will begin his second year as Michigan's head coach by serving a two-game suspension in Weeks 3 and 4, which he accepted back in May. While the suspension is a setback, Moore will also face the major task of improving on an 8-5 season.

Despite an overall underwhelming 2024 campaign, Michigan ended the year on a strong note. In their final four games, the Wolverines faced three top-15 opponents (Indiana, Ohio State and Alabama) and lost only to the Hoosiers in a narrow 20-15 defeat on Nov. 9.

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt praised Michigan's phenomenal finish to the season on Monday via "The Joel Klatt Show":

"If you're not in the playoff, it's hard to even win a Bowl game and feel great about yourself, because you're not in the top 12 in the country. However, of the teams not in the playoff, which, by the way, all 11 except for Ohio State had to end the year on a loss, Michigan had the best last month of the season of anybody in the country (Timestamp- 7:40 onwards)."

Michigan's elite defense deserves much of the credit, finishing first nationally in both scoring and total defense over the last stretch. In the final three and a half games, they allowed just two total touchdowns.

After major offensive struggles last season, Michigan is expected to open the new season with true freshman and former five-star recruit Bryce Underwood at quarterback, as Mikey Keene is sidelined with an injury. Klatt noted that offensive support will be key for Michigan's turnaround (Timestamp- 8:36 onwards):

"If they get any offensive contribution from Bryce Underwood, or whoever plays quarterback, this team should be drastically better."

Joel Klatt doubles down on Sherrone Moore's advantage on Michigan's 2025 season schedule

In his first year as Michigan's head coach in the 2024 season, Sherrone Moore went up against three of the top five teams in college football. But the 2025 schedule appears more favorable for the Wolverines, according to Joel Klatt (Timestamp- 10:05 onwards):

"They've got the benefit of actually having a decent schedule. They don't have to play Penn State. They don't have to play Oregon. They don't have to play Illinois. They don't have to play Indiana, and they don't have to play Iowa."

Michigan's first major test will come in Week 2 against Oklahoma. If they manage to win that game, the rest of the season doesn’t look overly challenging. Moore will still face tough road matchups at Nebraska, USC, Washington and Ohio State, but Klatt called 2025 a potential "bounce-back year" for the school.

"I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that they go and win that game in Norman. I really don't, in particular with how good their defense is," Klatt added.

Sherrone Moore's squad will start the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against New Mexico.

Edited by Veer Badani