When the No. 13 Texas found out it didn’t make the College Football Playoff, the Longhorns turned focus to their Cheez-It Citrus Bowl opponent, the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines.
It couldn’t have been easy to prepare for this team. After Sherrone Moore’s public scandal, Biff Poggi took over as interim head coach, and Michigan was left without a solidified answer as to who its new coach would be until Dec. 26, when the Wolverines hired Kyle Whittingham. It was also unclear which players were opting out until recently.
Despite the confusion, Michigan seems to have it all figured out just in time for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Here are three things to know about Michigan when the two teams take the field on New Year’s Eve:
Coaching situation
Sports Roundup
Who is going to be coaching the Wolverines against the Longhorns?
That was the biggest question after Moore’s firing, and Michigan answered by naming Poggi interim head coach. Having been in the position before, Poggi was ready to step up and has been working with the team to get them prepared for the Citrus Bowl.
Poggi was first part of Michigan’s program as an analyst in 2016 before leaving and returning as an associate head coach in the 2021 and 2022 seasons under Jim Harbaugh. He came back in the spring of 2025 as an associate under Moore and led the team in an interim capacity in two games this season, two wins against Nebraska and Central Michigan. It was because of him and other members of the Michigan staff that many of the players will be returning to play in the bowl game.
However, while the team prepares for Texas, they will also get to meet their new head coach. Whittingham traveled to Orlando, Fla., to meet the team on Saturday.
Whittingham, 66, built a strong team culture at Utah and has a nearly spotless resume, which is what Michigan needs right now. In his 21-year tenure at Utah, Whittingham became the winningest coach in school history with a 177-88 record.
Whittingham announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down as head coach for the Utes, with former defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley taking his place.
Players opting out
Despite everything that happened, the Wolverines brought all but three players to Orlando. The only players who chose to opt-out of the game were edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, along with offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi.
Part of this has been due to the relationships the team has built with each other and the staff. Even though many of the coaching staff will likely not stay on for Whittingham, they still tried to keep consistency amid the chaos of the coaching news.
“I think it’s just the relationship that we have with the staff,” sophomore linebacker Cole Sullivan told Wolverines’ Wire. “We just see how much they care about us, how much trust we have in them, and how much trust they have in us.”
So while Texas’ roster and coaching staff is cut down with players entering the portal, Michigan will be entering the game with an almost full roster.
QB Bryce Underwood looking for solid performance
With so much uncertainty surrounding the Michigan program right now, Michigan will be trying its hardest to keep its star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood beyond bowl season. He will pose a challenge for Texas defenders, especially without veterans like Anthony Hill Jr. and Michael Taaffe on the field.
Underwood was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country according to ESPN and 247Sports. Over four years as a starter in high school, he racked up over 12,000 all-purpose yards and led his team to its first-ever undefeated season in 2022.
Underwood became the starting quarterback when he first came to Michigan. In his first game against New Mexico, his 251 passing yards became the sixth-highest in a debut in program history.
However, he wasn’t as successful overall as some might have hoped. Underwood finished the season with 2,229 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Part of this was due to Michigan’s reliance on the run game, especially in the red zone.
Underwood can use this game to get crucial experience. Now, whether he uses that experience at Michigan or at a different school is a separate question.