Paul Finebaum, Heather Dinich debate whether Michigan is a College Football Playoff team in 2024

Could the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines return to the College Football Playoff in 2024? Well ESPN’s Paul Finebaum thinks so but Heather Dinich is a little hesitant.

Sherrone Moore took over as head coach after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL and Los Angeles Chargers. A great defense is back, but there are questions on offense.

So in the end, especially in a loaded Big Ten, can Michigan make the 12-team playoff?

“I think they will compete for the playoffs,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “Sherrone Moore had a great year as an understudy, he got to coach in three or four big games. He dealt with the pressure. And I thought he dealt with it very, very well. This is a better team that I think everyone is giving credit to, the defense is outstanding. There’s some questions on offense.

“The schedule is the issue. That Texas game early in the season, they’re gonna have to turn that game because they can’t afford probably more than two losses unless they get very lucky. So I think they’re a legitimate playoff team. They are on the cutline, but hey better turn a game or two.”

On paper, it looks like Michigan is the fourth best team in the conference behind the likes of Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.

“That seems about right,” Dinich responded. “But that doesn’t mean they’re a playoff team and Paul glossed over the offense that only returns 24% of the offensive production from last year. That’s 132nd in the FBS. The struggle is real here in terms of reloading this team, but I think that they can be a fringe team. Who knows if there’s going to be a three loss team in the College Football Playoff? But they can lose three games: Texas, Oregon, Ohio State, maybe that road trip to Washington.”

Ahead of Big Ten Media Days, there’s been a lot of conversation about how Moore can mold Michigan into his vision. He did go undefeated in the games Harbaugh was suspended for last season though.

While Moore is stepping into big shoes, replacing Harbaugh after the coach captured a national title for Michigan and returned to the NFL afterwards, he believes he’s the right man for the job. He has the support of the fanbase, and Moore’s goals for his team in 2024 don’t stray from last season’s mission.

“I think the goals always stay the same,” Moore said this spring. “The goals are to beat our rivals. Win the Big Ten. Beat Ohio State. Make the Playoff, win the Playoff. So the goals stay the same, and the process in which we do things will stay the same.

“The people are different. The people are always different, every year. So we’re just going to attack the process every day, do it how we know best and put our heads down and work.”