Sherrone Moore has a lot of pressure on him coming into the 2025 season. Even if he will have to serve a two-game suspension, that won’t absolve him of the scrutiny that will follow him if his team doesn’t perform at an elite level this upcoming season. I think the new Michigan administration will be patient, but they won’t give him the same benefit of the doubt as his predecessor.
Jim Harbaugh got the alumni discount, which is why he was afforded nine seasons to figure it out; Moore would be lucky to get half of that without going on a playoff run. Two years ago, Michigan went on a national championship run, which featured a win over Ohio State and culminated in a resounding title game victory over Washington. That was Harbaugh’s last favor before he jumped back to the NFL ranks.
Moore has shown he can recruit with the heavyweights, landing No. 1 QB Bryce Underwood last year (and throwing an NIL bag at him that was reportedly more than $10 million). But getting the players is one thing; he has to win with them. That’s why Moore won’t survive a long tenure at Michigan without a playoff run — and soon.
Why the pressure is on for Sherrone Moore to keep Michigan as a title contender
Moore is probably feeling the pressure now more than ever, because a lackluster 2024 season highlighted Michigan’s biggest problem: They needed a competent quarterback. Donovan Edwards wasn’t close to as good as he was during the 2023 championship run, and after losing J.J. McCarthy, the Wolverines turned to Alex Orji, an experiment that failed miserably.
In fact, none of the quarterbacks last year panned out. That’s why getting Underwood will bring a massive spotlight to him and the Wolverines. Landing a five-star recruit isn't enough; he has to win with Underwood and fast, because if not, there might not be too long a leash.
Michigan hasn’t had an elite quarterback in a while, and while Underwood has all the potential, until he plays we won’t know how good he will be in college. If Moore wants to develop Underwood into a solid NFL prospect, he has to win.
The way last year ended should set the tone for Michigan’s 2025 season. They not only beat Ohio State, who went on to win a national championship, but they went on to beat Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That’s why Moore has a lot of pressure on him to win: He was able to finish the year 8-5 last year after playing three quarterbacks and having a miserable offense.
This year, he has to have it figured out. He’ll obviously have to keep beating Ohio State. But that won’t be enough; the Wolverines have to compete in the College Football Playoff.
Beating Ohio State won’t be enough to appease Michigan administration, fanbase
With the expanded College Football Playoff and conference realignment, beating Ohio State won’t be enough for Moore to stick around in Ann Arbor. Oregon came to the Big Ten and in year one, beat every top team in the conference for a conference championship.
That should be an insult to Michigan and the blue bloods in the conference. That’s more pressure on Moore. He can’t go years without winning and letting conference realignment shatter the program's chances.
Along with conference realignment, the CFP is essentially monopolized by the Big Ten and the SEC. They’re proposing expanding to 16 teams and giving the top two conferences half of the playoff field. Even if that doesn’t get approved, the fact that Indiana can make it into the 12-team playoff means there’s no excuses for Michigan.
Moore got his grace period last year, especially after losing a large senior class and having a lot of turnover. He won’t be afforded that excuse much longer. This year the team has to make strides in getting back to contending.
It’s easier now than it has been in the past to get into the CFP. That should be his standard every year. Getting there and only winning a game won’t be enough, though. Moore has to prove he was the perfect person to take over for Harbaugh. The only way he can prove that is dominating in the College Football Playoff.