If you’re a Michigan fan, don’t let the easier schedule talk in 2025 fool you. Sure, the brutal row lineup of Texas, Oregon, and Ohio State is behind them. And last year’s 8-5 bruising included upsets like beating the national champions in Columbus. But before the maize and blue hearts start dreaming of a smooth ride back to playoff relevance, there’s one early road trip that could crush that optimism and it comes from SEC country.
Week 2. Under the lights. In hostile territory. But first, let’s lay the field. Sherrone Moore’s Michigan opens up with a warm-up at home against New Mexico. It’s essentially a prelude before they walk into an early September buzzsaw. According to CBS Sports’ prediction for 2025, this is where the Wolverines undefeated dream ends. “First loss: at Oklahoma on Sept. 6.” That’s the verdict. The Oklahoma Sooners led by fourth-year HC Brent Venables. The soon-to-be SEC heavyweight waiting in Norman to deliver heartbreaks.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 04: Michigan Wolverines Offensive Line/Co-Offensive Coordinator Sherrone Moore and Quarterbacks Coach Matt Weiss look on during the Big Ten Championship Game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan Wolverines on December 04, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Now, before you scoff at a team that went 6-7 last season, remember, this isn’t your 2024 Sooners. Brent Venables is coaching for his job and that’s a scary place to be if you’re Michigan. “Oklahoma overhauled its roster through the transfer portal, adding former Washington State quarterback John Mateer and Cal running back Jaydn Ott,” CBS wrote. John Mateer has arm talent and wheels and Jaydn Ott is slippery in space. Brent Venables, meanwhile, is out of second chances. His seat is becoming quite hot and a Week 2 loss won’t do him any favor. And when desperation meets talent, that’s a dangerous combo. CBS isn’t the only one sounding the alarm.
ESPN echoed the same warning. “The Wolverines head to Oklahoma in Week 2 to face Sherrone Moore’s alma mater,” it wrote. “Michigan will have bigger expectations in 2025, especially with the arrival of five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.” A win in Week 2 will take the Wolverines back to the playoff conversation and also prove that Bryce Underwood is a real deal. But if they lose, things could spiral. Sherrone Moore could miss the two game suspension including a tricky one at Nebraska. That could snowball into a rocky start and kill any momentum before Big Ten play even hits full throttle. Even Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt acknowledged the weight that the Week 2 game carries.
Michigan vs Oklahoma – A defining game of 2025
Joel Klatt flagged this game as one of the ten defining matchups of the 2025 season. And he didn’t mince words on his show when he said, “[Michigan] needs a bounce-back year desperately. Defense was fine last year. Offense was not. They need to figure out the quarterback position.” Bryce Underwood, the true freshman 5-star QB, will likely make his first road start at night in Norman. That’s not an easy ask. He’s electric, but asking a freshman to dissect a Brent Venables defense on the road in Week 2 is problematic.
But don’t count out the Wolverines just yet. This defense is still nasty. They may have lost Mason Graham and Will Johnson, but they return Rod Moore, Rayshaun Benny, and Jaishawn Barham. That’s a unit that shoved Alabama into a box last season and they could do the same to Mateer and Ott. Also, Michigan didn’t sit quietly in the portal. They nabbed former Bama 5-star Justice Haynes, who could be the balancing force alongside the No. 1 QB in that backfield. And Sherrone Moore will still be on the sideline before his two-game suspension kicks in. He’s got something to prove, too.
Joel Klatt said it best, “Both of these programs are in desperate need of a bounce game, and this could provide that for either program.” Michigan needs to show it’s more than the team that barely crawled to 8-5. Oklahoma needs to stop being a cautionary tale of failed expectations. And Norman, under the lights, will be the crucible. Whether it’s Bryce Underwood’s coming-out party or Brent Venables’ last stand, one thing’s for sure. Somebody’s season starts dying early. And CBS thinks it’s Michigan’s.
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