Texas at Michigan in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season has all the trappings of the best college football has to offer, even if many think the Longhorns are likely to get a big win. But what if the Wolverines were to prevail?
While he includes himself in the group that expects Texas to prevail, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt pondered the possibility of Michigan winning the Week 2 bout at home. On top of being a major feather in the cap for new head coach Sherrone Moore and whoever Michigan is starting at quarterback, a Wolverine win would be a major inflection point early in the college football season.
“I think that the narrative right now in the offseason is that Texas is going to roll up there, they’re more talented, they got their quarterback, Quinn Ewers, and they’re just going to beat Michigan,” Klatt said. “Alright, let’s just pose this question for moment: What happens if Michigan beats Texas? That would be pretty wild. I think people aren’t expecting that. What happens if they do it? The boa constrictor? What happens if the boa constrictor is still around? And they still can run the football? And they still play great defense and they rush the quarterback? All of those things, I think, would be interesting and then that would reshape the college football year as we are thinking about it now.”
Klatt continued, arguing a win would help propel Michigan, the defending national champions, into the upper tier of the college football echelons — even if there’s a relatively raw and new quarterback under center.
“Because right now, and I’m including myself in this, I don’t hold Michigan in my Top 4 in college football, right now in the offseason,” Klatt said. “Now, if they were to beat Texas? That changes immediately. Again, shaping the season.”
And Klatt isn’t entirely sold that Texas will be fully capable of rolling to a simple win on the road, as Michigan should have the requisite parts to hit the ground running — literally — with a strong run game.
If that’s the case, the Week 2 showdown in Ann Arbor could be a massive showdown to shape the college football season.
“Now, I’ve got questions about their defense,” Klatt said of Texas. “Losing their defensive tackles. And losing those defensive tackles, what happens if Michigan runs it 52 times? It’s going to be a great game, again, shaping the college football season. Early statement opportunity for both programs. Early statement opportunities for both the SEC and the Big Ten.”
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