Story by
No more house money. Pressure back on Sherrone Moore, Michigan in The Game
- Story by
- No more house money. Pressure back on Sherrone Moore, Michigan in The Game
The first two were cake, the pressure of the moment easing the circumstances.
But there's no more playing with house money for Michigan coach Sherrone Moore. The Game has arrived, and so have the expectations.
Advertisement
The Big Ten championship. The College Football Playoff . And last, but most certainly not least, it's Ohio State .
"It ain't me, it's the kids, man," Moore said Monday when asked about how he meets the moment in one of the greatest rivalries in sports. "Like, I'm not out there playing. It's those kids that step on the field."
But it's Moore, more than any other, who has moved to center stage in this bitter rivalry — even after Michigan 's four consecutive wins. Ohio State coach Ryan Day's unique position after losing The Game last season but winning the national title, makes this reality more ever-present.
Moore was the winning interim coach in 2023, steering the best team in college football while coach Jim Harbaugh was serving a three-game suspension.
Advertisement
A year later, in his first game as the coach replacing Harbaugh and after the loss of significant talent from Michigan's national championship season, Moore was again playing without the pressure to win.
Now everything is on the line, and for the first time in this rivalry, Moore is in the crosshairs of it all with his team, his multi-million dollar quarterback and CFP expectations.
The weight of The Game — the unique pressure Moore avoided by circumstance for two seasons — now rests squarely on him.
More money, less return: So you want millions in a buyout? It may cost you your career
College football coaching carousel: Grades for each hire, how they fit
Advertisement
"You're playing for something big, and that's what you want," Moore said. "All those things are at hand, and I think our kids deserve to know that they're in position."
From a ready-made championship team, to a roster that still wasn't his, to his first true shot at The Game with the quarterback he recruited and developed. The first big moment for freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood , who hasn't been overwhelmed by any moment this fall — but hasn't yet played in this rivalry.
He played high school football in Belleville, Mich., so he knows the rivalry. Underwood originally committed to LSU , but then got pulled into a bizarre negotiation between the NIL's of LSU and Michigan before finally landing in Ann Arbor.
If you don't think there's pressure on Moore, think about what it took to get Underwood, the No.1 quarterback from the 2025 high school recruiting class, to get to Michigan.
It began with Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy declaring he'd contribute $1 million to an NIL deal for Underwood, especially if it meant the Wolverines having a functional pass game (they didn't in 2024).
Advertisement
Then Jolin Zhu got involved. Who is Zhu, you ask? The 33-year-old fifth wife of eccentric Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — who just so happens to be 81 and one of the richest men on the planet.
Zhu is a Michigan alum, and she, like Portnoy, wanted a quarterback who could move Michigan past its five-loss season of 2024. So she got her nearly half a century older husband to pitch in on the deal, and the next thing you know, Underwood flips to Michigan for a reported $12 million deal over four years.
Zhu and Ellison (and Portnoy) didn't chip in for some random quarterback. They paid for the one player Moore believed could lift Michigan back to the elite of the game.
So now Michigan has The Game in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines have won five straight since an ugly loss at USC threw the season into win-or-walk mode. No room for error since mid-October.
Advertisement
There's only one way for Moore to make good on this quarterback investment, and only one way for Moore to make good on Michigan's investment in him. Michigan hired Moore to follow Harbaugh despite him twice running afoul of NCAA law as an assistant under Harbaugh.
Moore's first shot at The Game was as caretaker, his second with a five-loss team in his first season. His third is as big as it gets.
The Big Ten, the CFP, the multi-million dollar quarterback.
"You can't let outside variation, outside things, outside noise control the preparation and the progress of what we're doing," Moore said.
Advertisement
The Game has arrived, and so has the pressure.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan coach Sherrone Moore facing pressure, CFP hope vs Ohio State
