According to the No. 18 Michigan football team, everything — like the conference championship and College Football Playoff — is still in front of them. But that statement comes with a catch: It’s only true if the Wolverines win out.
Fresh off a bye week, Michigan is currently sitting at a 7-2 overall record that puts it right on the cusp of the playoff. Acutely aware of this pressure, each rep, each drill and each Saturday holds more weight. There’s little margin for error, and one miscue could derail the Wolverines’ postseason plans. But Michigan coach Sherrone Moore isn’t shying away from the pressure. He’s amplifying it.
“It feels a little bit the same, but not, because we were at a different place,” Moore said Monday. “ … But it’s different now. We’re playing for a lot more, and the urgency is at an all-time high in the program. The urgency with me, with the coaches, with the players, is at an all-time high to make sure that we’re prepared.”
The last time Michigan had a bye, it sat at a 3-1 overall record with its Big Ten slate just beginning. With nearly all of conference play still ahead of it, that pause felt like a chance to reset and find a rhythm. However, with just three games left in the regular season, the stakes have shifted and time is running out for the Wolverines.
That sense of urgency isn’t just coming from Michigan’s coaching staff, though. It’s echoed throughout the locker room.
“… We know every single game is a playoff game,” senior tight end Marlin Klein said. “ We lose one of those next three ones, we’re probably out, and that’s how we’re attacking it every single day. So we got to win Northwestern. We’ll prepare for Northwestern like it’s a playoff game.”
This mindset is one that the Wolverines’ leaders have hammered home during the bye week because, while this kind of pressure is all too familiar for Michigan’s returners, this season’s team relies heavily on its youth.
Looking at the Wolverines’ roster, there have been significant contributions from their freshmen personnel on both sides of the ball. On the defensive front, defensive backs Elijah Dotson and Jayden Sanders have both made an impact this season, while offensively, wide receiver Andrew Marsh and a trio of young offensive linemen make up just four of Michigan’s six current freshman starters.
Even with their limited experience in comparison to their teammates, the Wolverines’ freshmen are starting to grasp the urgency that’s going to define the coming weeks.
“I think some of the young guys might not be able to realize that here and there, and they don’t know how serious college football is yet,” Klein said. “…But a lot of those guys are mature as well, like Andrew Marsh. Those guys are mature enough to know what their role is. They know their role on the team, and they prepare like they’re starting.”
That preparation will soon be put to the test, starting with Michigan’s game this Saturday against the Wildcats. From here, as Moore and the team highlighted, each snap will matter just a little more, and each mistake will carry a little more weight.
As the season winds down, everything is still in front of the Wolverines — if their urgency can translate into execution over their next three “playoff” games.
