{"id":80625,"date":"2025-09-30T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=80625"},"modified":"2025-09-28T23:05:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T03:05:46","slug":"ranking-michigans-remaining-2025-games-by-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/09\/30\/ranking-michigans-remaining-2025-games-by-difficulty\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking Michigan\u2019s Remaining 2025 Games by Difficulty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Michigan football team will face its most challenging part of the 2025 schedule. The Wolverines return from their bye week to play games that include both achievable victories and crucial matchups.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Most Challenging Games on the Michigan Schedule<\/h2>\n

1. vs. Ohio State<\/h3>\n

The ranking of this matchup is no surprise to anyone. The Game serves as Michigan’s ultimate test for success, and this year brings its most demanding challenge since recent times. The No. 1-ranked Ohio State<\/a> team operates with a defense that multiple experts identify as the best in the nation. The Wolverines have two key advantages in this matchup: they play at home and have won the rivalry four times in a row. Bryce Underwood<\/a> will have accumulated nearly a complete season of playing experience when November arrives. The Wolverines require Underwood to show significant progress during this matchup to keep their winning streak alive.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: Barbara J. Perenic\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. at USC<\/h3>\n

The Wolverines will travel to the Coliseum in Los Angeles to play the USC Trojans following their matchup against Wisconsin. The Trojans have maintained their undefeated record, which positions them well for this upcoming contest. The Big Ten’s coastal expansion faces its first significant test when Michigan travels to the Coliseum to battle against a challenging environment. A Michigan victory against USC would prove their status as a leading national power, but a loss would intensify the pressure for their final game against Ohio State.<\/p>\n

3. vs. Washington<\/h3>\n

The undefeated Washington Huskies<\/a> have yet to face elite competition, but their unblemished record was put on hold after a 24-6 loss to Ohio State, which bolstered their national standing. The Huskies maintain a threatening offense even though their opponents have not proven to be top-tier competition. The Ann Arbor stadium gives Michigan an edge in defense when it welcomes the Washington Huskies to their home field. The Ohio State-Washington matchup provided fans with a glimpse of what to expect when Washington faces Michigan in October.<\/p>\n

4. at Michigan State<\/h3>\n

The level of competition. The Spartans face an impossible challenge to win the conference championship, yet their annual matchups against Michigan remain extremely challenging. MSU<\/a> will take every opportunity to stop its neighboring team. They started their season with three victories, yet their loss to USC proved they could match up against top teams in the playoffs. The Spartans will lose to Michigan because their better team roster and more experienced coaching staff will outmatch them.<\/p>\n

Easiest Matchups on the Michigan Schedule<\/h3>\n

5. at Maryland<\/h3>\n

The Maryland Terrapins<\/a> enter their bye week with a 4-0 record, but many experts question the quality of their opponents. The Terps earned their Power Four win against Wisconsin during a game where the Badgers struggled throughout. The Terps have enough offensive strength to create defensive problems, and quarterback Malik Washington<\/a> shows the capability to attack through the air. The Michigan defensive line, along with their running game, will establish a strong enough defense to secure a win during this away game.<\/p>\n

6. vs. Purdue<\/h3>\n

The Boilermakers<\/a> started their season well, but their performance declined after suffering significant losses to USC and Notre Dame. The Boilermakers have enough scoring power, but their team lacks sufficient depth to compete with Michigan throughout a complete four-quarter contest. The Wolverines will benefit from playing at Michigan Stadium, also known as The Big House.<\/p>\n

7. at Northwestern<\/h3>\n

The Northwestern Wildcats have had a disappointing season, marked by losses to Tulane and Oregon. The Michigan defense will make it difficult for the offense to score points because its unit has yet to find its rhythm. The Wolverines will face their easiest road game of the season when they visit Northwestern, since they play outside Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n

8. vs. Wisconsin<\/h3>\n

The Wolverines face their most manageable challenge when they play their upcoming opponent. The Badgers have suffered two major defeats against Alabama and Maryland, while their offense managed to score more than 20 points only in one game. The Badgers will enter Ann Arbor as major underdogs due to their defense’s struggles and the limited success of their offense. The Wolverines will achieve an effortless victory when they return from their bye week.<\/p>\n

Closing Thoughts on Michigan\u2019s 2025 Schedule<\/h3>\n

The road to November looks favorable for Michigan, but they still need to navigate through several challenging obstacles. The young team will face its most significant challenges when it plays at USC and when it faces its two biggest rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State. The team faces a potential spoiler threat from Washington if they recapture their current success and prove it to be genuine. The combination of Underwood’s steady progress and defensive stability makes it possible for Michigan to stay in playoff contention until the final week of the season while depending on the outcome of “The Game.”<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Michigan football team will face its most challenging part of the 2025 schedule. The Wolverines return from their bye week to play games that include both achievable victories and crucial matchups. Most Challenging Games on the Michigan Schedule 1. vs. Ohio State The ranking of this matchup is no surprise to anyone. The Game […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5604,"featured_media":80650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,35606,35607,35631,35654,35609,35653,35603,35612,35651],"tags":[10011],"class_list":["post-80625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-maryland-terrapins","category-michigan-state-spartans","category-michigan-wolverines","category-northwestern-wildcats","category-ohio-state-buckeyes","category-purdue-boilermakers","category-usc-trojans","category-washington-huskies","category-wisconsin-badgers","tag-bryce-underwood"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80625"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80651,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80625\/revisions\/80651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}