64 days until Michigan football: Responding to criticism about the non-conference slate

There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 2 opener against East Carolina. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, the upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.

Michigan football is 64 days away from the start of the 2023 season. Head coach Jim Harbaugh earned his 64th win as head coach in Ann Arbor with a 59-0 drubbing of the UConn Huskies in the non-conference finale last season.

The non-con slate was derided and made fun of by the national media and some of the program’s biggest detractors. Games against Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn were considered three of the worst opponents in the FBS. Given that Michigan had bought out a home-and-home series with UCLA (a future conference foe) in 2022-23, it lent itself into the idea that the Wolverines were padding the schedule.

It will be much of the same this year. East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green will not do a whole lot to have anyone shaking in their boots, and each of those games should be lopsided wins in favor of the Wolverines. And once again, Michigan will be a lightning rod for criticism because of it, ignoring the fact that for the first 6 full seasons of the Harbaugh era, there was a Power 5 opponent on the non-conference schedule. Starting next season, it has home-and-home series over the next few years with Texas and Oklahoma in addition to a return trip to Washington in 2028.

The loudest cries about Michigan’s non-conference slate typically come from those in SEC country without mentioning that much of their conference plays FCS schools in November in addition to only eight conference games. Michigan and the Big Ten have played in nine games in conference play since 2016. Add in the fact that the Wolverines play in one of the toughest division in college football, and arguments about whether they belong in the conversation or not are overblown. Michigan has played Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State every year in addition to Wisconsin six times.

People want to see contenders tested in September, but the only thing that matters is how they look in November and beyond. The program has turned things around over the last two years by handling its business and playing its best football when it matters most, eyeball test and analytics be damned. So whether Michigan blows through a light non-conference schedule again or struggles a bit is ultimately pointless as long as they win games in November.

And if they really want to start changing narratives, go out and win your College Football Playoff games, too.

In a four-team College Football Playoff field, there is no benefit to risking an extra loss on the schedule in the non-conference. As long as the committee can justify putting you in with the record you have, they will. The job is all that much easier on them when you win your showdown games and go into selection Sunday with an 11-1 or 12-0 record.

With an expanded playoff coming next year to 12 teams, teams can play all the showdown games they want in the non-con for TV dollars, which is ultimately what the emphasis will be moving forward. But in the here and now, criticism over Michigan’s schedule is white noise. We know they are talented enough to win it all, so let them be quasi-preseason games and get some experience for guys that might be core members of the 2024 and 2025 rosters.

Michigan football countdown to kickoff

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