Staff Predictions: Michigan vs. Texas

Michigan playing at home and the Wolverines' defense are the great equalizers for a contest that many are already writing off as a win for Texas. Not so fast my friend. I'm not so convinced the Longhorns can simply walk in and get away with an easy win. While it's certainly possible, of course, U-M has heard the noise about the team all offseason and all week after its performance against Fresno State. I refuse to believe that, right now, the offense showed against the Bulldogs is nothing more than a week one mirage and the team will be ready to play as it always has for big games in recent years. This game is going to be won in the trenches. Can the Wolverines control the line of scrimmage? Is Quinn Ewers going to have to win this one with his arm if the run game can't going? This is where I think it bodes well for the Wolverines and it will win a tight one in a Big Noon Kickoff affair.

Michigan 27, Texas 24

Dennis Fithian

Everyone agrees that Michigan’s three toughest games this year are Texas, Oregon & Ohio State. Knowing that it takes time for an offensive line and new QB time to develop this game against Texas always presented a huge challenge. Wolverines have the pass rush and secondary to keep them in the game. Can U-M score enough to win? I’d feel a lot better if this game was being played in November and not in week two.

Texas 23 Michigan 16

Trevor McCue

I’ve been predicting Michigan to win this game all year, and I am not going to switch now.

Look, what we saw from the offense against Fresno State was concerning. There are two scenarios. One involves the fact Michigan named Davis Warren the starter late into fall camp and he hadn’t started a game since high school in 2018. Michigan was also starting five new offensive lineman. A group that got better as the game went on and will get better as the season goes on, same as recent years. At wide receiver, odd rotations did not give Warren enough snaps with Semaj Morgan and Peyton O’Leary played 10 times the snaps of Fred Moore. That won’t happen again. The offensive game plan was also simple and out of rhythm. The second scenario is the Michigan offense is actually this bad. I refuse to believe that until I see it. I expect Michigan to come out cohesive and focused on beating Texas.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan is elite. They will have a tough test with the speed of Texas. The game plan will be similar to many of the other big games we have seen in recent years. They will focus on keeping the roof on and preventing big plays. They force Texas to take the shorter throws and hope to hold the to field goals in the red zone. Quinn Ewers can be rattled with pressure and Michigan could force and interception or two and change the landscape of this game. Give up plays, no turnovers for short fields for the offense, and Texas will have a path to victory.

I’m going with the tough fight, back and forth, but ultimately Michigan finds a way in the 4th quarter.

Michigan wins 24-20.

Brock Heilig

Fans can (and will) debate whether the transfer portal/NIL/conference expansion era of college football is beneficial for the sport as a whole, but one thing is certain: A game of this magnitude would rarely, if ever, happen in the old style of college football. A nonconference game between two blue bloods in the biggest football stadium in the world will be a sight to behold on Saturday. It will be just the second meeting all-time between Michigan and Texas and the first meeting on either of the teams’ campuses. The key to the game for Michigan will be moving the football on offense. If Davis Warren and the offense are consistently going three-and-out, the elite defense won’t have time to regroup and catch its breath. Things will go downhill in a hurry for the Wolverines if that scenario materializes. And it very well could. After seeing the uninspiring performance the offense put forth last week, it’s hard to believe Michigan will have an easy time moving the ball and scoring points. However, the defense is dominant enough to carry Michigan to a win. It won’t be pretty by any means, but Michigan will come out victorious. It’s been almost five full years since Michigan lost in front of fans at the Big House, and until that happens again, it’s hard to predict the Wolverines to lose.

Michigan 17, Texas 14

Seth Berry

While Week 2 is reserved for a sort of tune up game in most seasons, that isn’t the case for Michigan in 2024 as the Wolverines welcome No. 3 Texas into the Big House for a heavyweight battle. The most important battle in my eyes is the experienced and talented offensive line of Texas against Michigan’s equally experienced and talented defensive line. The Longhorns have some really good weapons in the passing game, and if Quinn Ewers is afforded time and is allowed to get into a rhythm, that will be tough on the UM secondary. However, Ewers’ top targets are transfers, who are talented but haven’t played a ton together, and haven’t yet played against a defense of Michigan’s caliber. A good performance from Michigan’s front can throw off Texas’ timing and get them off schedule. On offense, Michigan wasn’t good enough last week, but had missed assignments that seemed fairly correctable. The Wolverines will need to clean those up against a stout Texas defense. The Longhorns did lose D’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy from the interior of last year’s d-line. It’s still a stout front, but the Wolverines will definitely be testing Texas up the middle to see how physical the Longhorns can be. Contrary to popular belief, neither team has enough matchups in its favor to run away with this one, and I expect nothing but a close game that can go either way. Ultimately, I think Texas has just enough to come away with a road win in Ann Arbor and give Michigan its first regular season defeat in 30 games.

Texas 27, Michigan 24

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