ANN ARBOR – As Michigan begins Big Ten play Saturday at Nebraska, it is one of seven conference teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
The Cornhuskers aren’t one of the seven but did receive votes following a 3-0 start under third-year coach Matt Rhule. The 21st-ranked Wolverines chalked up their 24-13 loss at Oklahoma in Week 2 as a minor blip in their season – a game that wasn’t representative of their 2025 potential.
“I think we’re as good as anyone in the nation right now,” senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder said this week. “Week two, I don’t think that mattered. I think we were just developing as a team, and I think as we go further, I think there’s not a single team better than us.”
Last Saturday against Central Michigan, the Wolverines looked like one of the best teams in the country. They totaled more than 600 yards of offense for the first time since 2016 and held CMU to 139 yards in a 63-3 rout. But that also was against a Mid-American Conference opponent.
This week’s matchup at Nebraska has drawn parallels to the Oklahoma game, with Michigan facing a standout quarterback and a strong defense in a raucous road environment. Michigan faceplanted in its first road test against the Sooners, managing minimal success on offense behind freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and struggling to contain Oklahoma signal-caller John Mateer on defense.
“I would say what we learned is we bounced back,” Michigan running back Jordan Marshall said. “I would say that’s the biggest thing is we bounced back. No matter who we played, we bounced back. And to see Bryce take that on the chin and say, ‘Yep, it’s time to go back to work.’ And we have a lot of older guys (who said), ‘It’s time to go back to work.’
“That’s what Michigan’s always been about is putting your head down and going back to work. I think we learned from that road game is we’re going to play in more environments like that and we’re going to have to win on the road. This one is exciting for us and it’s another challenge that we get to face. I think the guys are just embracing it.”
If the Wolverines stumble at Nebraska, reaching the conference title game will be an uphill battle. Last year, Big Ten championship participants Oregon and Penn State combined for one loss in the regular season.
If Michigan beats the Cornhuskers, the rest of its schedule isn’t as grueling as others in the Big Ten. It only faces two teams currently ranked in the top 25: at No. 25 USC on Oct. 11 and home against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 29. The Wolverines don’t play No. 2 Penn State, No. 6 Oregon, No. 9 Illinois or No. 19 Indiana.
“It’s got a lot of great teams, doesn’t it,” Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi said of the conference. “It is huge, and probably that’s the way the future’s going to be in conference alignment in football. But the league is ridiculous. It’s incredible. Anybody can beat anybody. Nebraska, watched all their tape, and I think they’re really good. They have a really good football team.”
The Wolverines are taking a measured approach as they navigate their 2025 schedule and avoiding looking too far ahead. Instead, they are embracing the opportunity to face a 3-0 Cornhuskers team that has outscored Akron and Houston Christian 127-7 the past two weeks. It also opened with a 20-17 win over Cincinnati.
“Big Ten play, conference play is really all that matters,” sophomore tight end Hogan Hansen said. “I think we got a good opportunity to go send a statement this weekend, so just focusing on that.”
“Just go prove what team we are when we play to our best. We’re not worried about the outside factors or anything like that. Just doing our best and everyone playing our 1-11 (referring to all 11 players doing their jobs.)”
In a matchup that features two former five-star quarterbacks in Underwood and Dylan Raiola, Marshall believes the game will be decided in the trenches.
“We kind of talked about it today: we just want to go 1-0,” Marshall said. “I think that’s every team’s goal in the Big Ten is to go 1-0. So how do we do that? I think that’s just being physical and tough. The Big Ten is all about being tough, and it really comes down to O line play and D line play. It’s going to be exciting to go in their place and get to play.”