Michigan football might not have wowed anyone with its spring game, but don't count the Wolverines out just yet. Under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, the team is quietly building a foundation that could lead them straight back to the College Football Playoff.
Sure, the 2026 schedule looks brutal on paper. But remember 2021? That season started with a gauntlet of its own—a home game against Washington, a road trip to Penn State, and the always-intense regular-season finale against Ohio State. Michigan won all three, dropping only a game in East Lansing, and still punched its ticket to the CFP while claiming the Big Ten title. The secret sauce? A dominant defensive line and a punishing run game behind the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line.
That 2021 squad entered the year with zero expectations—especially after a 2-4 disaster the season before. Now, as CBS Sports highlights in its post-spring overreactions, the ingredients are there for another Cinderella run.
The Whittingham Factor
Yes, the spring game raised some eyebrows when quarterback Bryce Underwood went just 3-for-9 for 22 yards and took two sacks. But Whittingham was quick to dismiss any concerns, making it clear that Underwood is still his guy. The real reason for optimism? The defense.
Whittingham has spent the entire spring hammering home one message: the defensive line will be this team's backbone. And with 22 years at Utah turning defensive units into program-defining identities, he knows a thing or two about building a wall up front. If he can replicate that formula in Ann Arbor, the CFP chatter suddenly doesn't sound so far-fetched.
Front and Center
That 2021 team was strongest where it mattered most—in the trenches. The offensive line might need some work in pass protection this season, but it's already solid in run blocking. Pair that with a defensive line that's generating serious buzz, and Michigan could be in every single game this year.
Let's not forget: Whittingham and his staff have a track record of doing more with less. And this roster? It's the most talented he's ever worked with. The schedule might be the toughest he's ever faced, but if the Wolverines can dominate the line of scrimmage like they did in 2021, the path to the CFP is clearer than it looks.