Copyright M Live Michigan
ANN ARBOR — Sherrone Moore met with the media for the first time in a couple of weeks as his Michigan football team prepares for Saturday’s game against Northwestern. The Wolverines were off last weekend and used the bye to get healthy, Moore said. While he didn’t offer specific timelines for the potential return of starters Justice Haynes, Rod Moore and Evan Link, he did go in depth on a variety of other topics. Some of the highlights are below. Playoff mode activated If Michigan’s season were a football game the Wolverines would be entering the final quarter. They face Northwestern and Maryland on the road before closing at home against Ohio State. How they fare in those games will determine their postseason fate. If they win all three they will make the 12-team playoff and possibly qualify for the Big Ten championship. If they lose one, they won’t. It’s that simple, and Moore seems to know it. “We’re playing for a lot more,” Moore said when asked to compare this year’s home stretch to last. “The urgency with me, with the coaches, with the players is at an all-time high to make sure that we’re prepared.” Moore didn’t use the term “playoff” but tight end Marlin Klein did. “We know every single game is a playoff game,” he said. “We lose one of (these) next three, we’re probably out.” Moore said the urgency is displayed in the details. “Meetings, practice, how they tie their shoes, how the locker room looks,” he said. “It’s not the ‘what,’ it’s the ‘how.’” Many preseason predictions had the Wolverines in this spot: Playing meaningful November football with a chance to sneak into the playoff. If they can avoid stumbling against Northwestern and Maryland, it sets up yet another epic showdown with No. 1 Ohio State. The friendly confines Moore is not a huge baseball fan. He played Little League briefly but realized he was better at other sports. Even so, he is excited to play at Wrigley Field, the 111-year-old home of the Chicago Cubs. “The venue will be awesome to play in,” he said. “Logistically, I know the locker room is a little different. And the walk, I guess, is a little bit like Rutgers where you’ve got to walk up a ramp and go a little farther.” He’ll be studying the wind on the field, as it will affect the game plan, but otherwise doesn’t want to make too much of the venue. As an assistant at Central Michigan he spent a lot of time recruiting Chicago. “Hopefully we’ve got a lot of fans there,” he said. “It would be great to have the great support from Michigan nation, Michigan fans at Wrigley Field.” Michigan fans typically made their presence felt at Northwestern’s home field; there’s good reason to think they’ll be even better represented in Chicago. Off-field topics Moore was asked about a couple of news items that don’t directly relate to this year’s team. The first: The Big Ten showing serious interest in a capital investment proposal reportedly worth $2.4 billion. Per reports — and comments from at least one Michigan regent — Michigan is not fully on board with the plan. “I’ll be involved (in those conversations),” Moore said, “but right now I’ve got to focus on this game and this team. There’s a lot of other people in the university that can handle those conversations for right now. They want me to focus on this (team).” Michigan had floated the idea of moving next year’s opener, against Western Michigan, to Germany before announcing last week that the game will remain in Ann Arbor. “Mixed; it was both,” Moore said of the reaction he received to that news. Some people told Moore they wished the deal had gone through; others were happy to have eight true home games in 2026 after only six this season. It was the same with players, he said. Klein, who’s from Germany, was among those who were disappointed. Some of his teammates, though, aren’t so keen on long-distance flights. “It wasn’t really a big deal in the building especially,” he said. “(I’m) excited to be back in the home stadium for that eighth game.” Moore may not have made the trip overseas anyway. He certainly would not have been on the sideline as the NCAA suspended him for the opener for his role in the sign-stealing scandal.
