Wolverine Digest

'It's not going to be a close game': College football analyst isn't giving Michigan a shot against Texas

Chris Breiler

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan, Week 2
No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan, Week 2 / Christopher Breiler
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The Michigan Wolverines have won 23-straight games at the Big House and are undefeated at home over the last three seasons, but the Texas Longhorns are still considered 6.5 point favorites entering Saturday's top 10 showdown in Ann Arbor. Following both team's Week 1 performances, the belief that Texas is going to win convincingly has only grown among many within the college football world - including a lot of analysts.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel didn't hold back when sharing his thoughts on how he believes the game will play out on Saturday.

"The pomp and circumstance of this game is going to be off the charts, and we're going to have a complete party before the game because of the two brands that are going to be doing battle. But what's happened at Texas is what happened in Athens. Kirby Smart built Alabama in Athens. Steve Sarkisian is building Alabama in Austin. They're not only going to win, they're going to whip 'em. Texas is that much faster, they've shown they're physical, they held Colorado State to less than 200 yards. It's not going to be a close game."

Neuheisel noted that Michigan suffered significant losses on the roster during the off-season, while crediting Sarkisian's for essentially turning Texas into an Alabama-like program. That may be a bit premature on Neuheisel's part when it comes to where Texas is at as a program, but the overall point is fair. Michigan did lose nearly 20 guys to the NFL following the 2023 season, and Texas does return a strong roster that is expected to be squarely in the national championship hunt.

Texas Football
Aug 31, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian leads his team out onto the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images / Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images

But Sarkisian certainly isn't taking the Wolverines lightly. In spite of the losses on the roster, he doesn't seem to share Neuheisel's belief that Saturday is going to be a walk in the park for the Longhorns. Instead, Sarkisian says his team is preparing for a dogfight in Ann Arbor.

"Three straight College Football Playoffs, national champs, 41-3 in their last 44 games, have won 16 games in a row," Sarkisian said on Monday. "They’ve won 23 straight at home. So we’re gonna be in for a dogfight.

"A ton of respect for this program, for this team. You don’t go to three straight College Football Playoffs if you don’t have a great program, and they’ve got a great program — obviously, capping it off last year being national champs. I think about some things about this team: they’re 41-3 in their last 44 games. They’ve won 16 games in a row. They’ve won 23 straight home games. So these guys know how to win. You can see it in their style of play. They play with a great deal of confidence. They believe in one another, so it’s a heck of a challenge for our team. But this is why you come to Texas, is to play in games like this, and to think this is the first time in the history of college football that Texas is going to play Michigan in the regular season is pretty awesome and pretty humbling to be part of that. And so we’re definitely looking forward to the forward to the opportunity."

No. 10 Michigan and No. 3 Texas will kick off at Noon on FOX.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

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