Sherrone Moore HAS TO Out-Coach Jonathan Smith — Michigan’s Season Depends on It
Michigan’s season is cooked against the big boys. The Wolverines have no shot at Ohio State, no shot at Oregon — which means this MSU game IS their championship. Sherrone Moore better show up.
Let’s be brutally honest about where Michigan football stands right now: they’re not beating Ohio State. They’re not beating Oregon. The way those programs are rolling, the Wolverines don’t have a prayer.
So what does that leave? Michigan State. At home. Under the lights. First-year coach against first-year coach. This isn’t just another rivalry game — this is Michigan’s entire 2024 season wrapped into one Saturday night.
And Sherrone Moore absolutely, positively has to out-coach Jonathan Smith.
No More Excuses After the Illinois Disaster
Michigan just got smacked by 14 points against Illinois. Fourteen. At this point, the quarterback excuse is dead. Buried. Don’t want to hear it anymore.
This was supposed to be a “retooling” year for Michigan, not a rebuild. That was the company line all offseason. Meanwhile, MSU openly admitted they were starting from scratch under Smith. Yet here we are — both teams unranked, neither looking like a Big Ten contender, meeting for the first time since 1998 with neither team in the rankings.
That’s embarrassing for a program that just won a national championship.
Moore Hasn’t Out-Coached Anyone This Year
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Sherrone Moore hasn’t shown he can scheme his way past anyone this season. Not once. Maybe he spent the entire bye week game-planning for this exact moment because he knows what this game means. Maybe he understands that losing at home to a rebuilding rival in Year One would be a disaster he can’t recover from.
Michigan is still favored. It’s a night game in Ann Arbor. The crowd will be electric regardless of the records. All the advantages are there for the Wolverines.
But advantages don’t mean anything if your coach gets out-schemed. And Jonathan Smith — despite MSU’s rough start — knows how to put together a game plan. He proved that at Oregon State with far less talent.
This Is Michigan’s Super Bowl
Forget the Big Ten title. Forget the playoff. For Michigan in 2024, beating Michigan State IS the championship. It’s the whole season in one game.
First-year head coaches. First-year starting quarterbacks on both sides. A rivalry that’s been lopsided for years suddenly looking like a coin flip. The stakes couldn’t be clearer for Moore: win this game and you’ve got something to build on. Lose it, and the questions about whether you’re ready for this job get a whole lot louder.
Put all your eggs in this basket. It’s the only basket that matters.
The Takeaways
- Michigan has zero chance against Ohio State or Oregon — the MSU game is their entire season
- Sherrone Moore hasn’t out-coached anyone all year and that has to change Saturday night
- Both teams unranked for the first time since 1998 — embarrassing for a program coming off a national title
Watch the full segment on YouTube: Sherrone Moore HAS TO out-coach Jonathan Smith!
