So much at stake for Michigan football, Sherrone Moore vs Ohio State

What we know about Michigan football going into The Game vs Ohio State

Tony Garcia breaks down what we know about Michigan football going into The Game vs Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.

• Michigan coach Sherrone Moore faces a critical game against Ohio State that could define his tenure.
• Despite a 9-2 record, Moore’s leadership has been questioned due to inconsistent team performance.
• A win could lead to a College Football Playoff berth, while a loss would fuel criticism.
• Moore has maintained a perfect record against rivals Ohio State and Michigan State as head coach.

Throughout his fledgling tenure as Michigan football coach, Sherrone Moore has tried to avoid the spotlight as much he can despite holding one of the most high-profile positions in the sport. A former offensive lineman, Moore maintains a modest persona. When he wins, he tends to redirect the praise toward his players and assistants.

“It ain’t me,” he said Monday, Nov. 24, when asked how he has always met the moment in rivalry games like the one his team is about to play Saturday.

But Moore is always at the center of the conversation about his Wolverines. That is especially true this week as his team gears up for a showdown with top-ranked Ohio State that could determine Michigan’s postseason fate. A fifth consecutive victory over the Buckeyes this Saturday could send the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff and establish a firm upward trajectory for Moore’s program. But a loss would likely revive criticism of Moore’s leadership and raise further questions about his capacity to guide Michigan to a prosperous future.

A year ago, at this exact juncture of the 2024 season, there was considerable dissatisfaction with Moore’s performance among Michigan’s unforgiving fans. More than 10 months removed from winning the CFP title, the Wolverines held a 6-5 record despite having three future first-round picks on their roster. The defense was not nearly as stingy as it had been. The offense was an eyesore, with a passing attack that ranked near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision. The entire operation seemed to deteriorate, because the coaching was worse.

But then Michigan went down to Ohio and stunned the Buckeyes, 13-10, as three-touchdown underdogs, producing one of the most shocking results in the history of this long series. The win changed the complexion of Moore’s regime and helped validate his selection as Jim Harbaugh’s successor.

Whatever faults Moore may have had, the power brokers inside the Michigan community could rest easy knowing he had what it took to beat U-M’s biggest rivals. Under different but equally challenging circumstances, he steered Michigan to a win over Ohio State in 2023 while serving as a stand-in for Harbaugh, who had been suspended in wake of the sign-stealing scandal that had mushroomed that fall. This season, he enjoyed his second straight conquest of Michigan State.

It is one of Michigan’s nine victories – a total that indicates progress has been made in Year 2 under Moore. But fans remain skeptical of Moore’s management of the Wolverines. Their 9-2 record, after all, appears a bit hollow. The Wolverines lost by 11 points to the only ranked opponent they faced, Oklahoma. They also looked rather messy while beating Purdue and Northwestern in consecutive one-score games earlier this month.

Signs of the program’s erosion since the end of Harbaugh’s tenure have routinely surfaced this season, just as they did last fall. Wink Martindale’s boom-and-bust defense has sprung leaks, giving up 489 yards and 31 points in a loss to USC while allowing 30 completions and three passing touchdowns in a three-point win over middling Nebraska.

The special teams, which had been a strength during Harbaugh’s golden age, have become a liability. Dominic Zvada has missed seven of 19 field-goal attempts, while the Wolverines rank near the bottom of the Big Ten in both kickoff and punt return average. On offense, even with freshman sensation Bryce Underwood at quarterback and a powerful rushing attack, the operation hasn’t always been smooth. Two years after Michigan’s national title team had a mere eight giveaways – the second-lowest total in the FBS – the Wolverines already have racked up 13 despite playing four fewer games than that undefeated championship squad.

Mistakes across all sectors have polluted the ball-dominant formula Moore inherited from Harbaugh. That was seen in a 24-22 last-second win over Northwestern, when the Wolverines barely overcame five turnovers.

“Football is a fundamental sport,” tight end Marlin Klein said. “So you’re going to get beat if you don’t play with technique and fundamentals. … That’s why we’ve gotten close to losing here and there.”

Those flirtations with disaster invited more scrutiny for Moore, who is constantly compared to his predecessor and mentor, Harbaugh. In his first 24 games in charge, Moore has generally fallen short of the standard Harbaugh set toward the end of his nine-year run in Ann Arbor. But in one area he has surpassed it: Always beating the teams Michigan fans hate the most.

That is why so much is on the line for Moore heading into Saturday.

A loss would not only eliminate the Wolverines from consideration for a CFP berth, but it would also prevent him from ever boasting again about a perfect record against U-M’s rivals. That could prove damaging for a coach who can claim no other great achievements thus far.

Because of the potential impact on his own personal stock, Moore – just like his Ohio State counterpart, Ryan Day – carries a big burden into The Game.

The course of his tenure and the perception of his ability to lead the program to long-term success, after all, may hinge on the outcome.

“It’s different than last year,” Moore said. “You’re playing for something big.”

It’s why Moore will be the center of attention this Saturday, whether he likes it or not.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.