ESPN lists Michigan football as 'a couple of breaks from a deep run

On the ESPN College Football podcast, Dan Wetzel asked: is Michigan football poised to surprise pundits across the sport in 2026? His compatriot there on the writing side, Bill Connelly, notes in his preview that if a few things go right for the maize and blue, a deep run could be in their future.

In his feature-length write-up on the conference, the Wolverines aren't one of Connelly's contenders for the title and beyond -- such belongs to Ohio State , Oregon , and Indiana -- but Michigan is in the same category as USC , Penn State , Washington , Iowa , Illinois, Nebraska , Minnesota, UCLA , Maryland, Wisconsin , and Northwestern as schools that 'could be a couple of breaks away from a run."

Of course, Michigan is thought of much more highly than, say, UCLA, Maryland, and Northwestern, but Connelly asks a couple of questions that the answer will determine the team's ceiling in 2026.

Whittingham's bona fides are top notch, but I do have two big questions.

1. Can the hard-nosed overachiever coach properly connect with and motivate a roster of blue-chippers? Going from managing a roster of chip-on-their-shoulder underdogs (relatively speaking) to leading higher-caliber recruits with higher expectations has tripped up plenty of coaches through the years. And that's without getting into the fact that Whittingham is 66 years old. (Between Patterson and Whittingham, it's a big year for 66-year-olds.)

2. How will the Jason Beck- Bryce Underwood  partnership work? Beck is one of the more delightful offensive coordinators in the country and turned  Devon Dampier , with dynamite running capabilities and a decent but limited arm, into the quarterback of a top-10 offense. (Utah was sixth in offensive SP+ last season.) But Beck will now call plays for Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Underwood flashed moments of excellence with his arm as a true freshman, and not including sacks he rushed 68 times for 506 yards; but Dampier rushed twice as much. Will Underwood run more? Will Beck seek similar efficiency with a more customary run game?

Connelly also gave Michigan something of an uptick in returning production, now placing it 20th nationally. However, in the deep Big Ten, it's still ranked eighth and faces (national) No. 8 Minnesota, No. 10 UCLA, and No. 12 Oregon this season, with two of those games being on the road.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN lists Michigan football as 'a couple of breaks from a deep run'

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