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Texas, not Ohio State, is the most important game of the 2024 season

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Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies in the 2024 Sugar Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies in the 2024 Sugar Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 college football season will begin in less than a week with eight teams in action on August 24.

Michigan football will begin play against the Fresno State Bulldogs the following Saturday. While the annual late-season meeting with the Ohio State Buckeyes will likely have huge implications – as it seemingly always does – it will not be the most important game on the Wolverines schedule.

Instead, Michigan’s Week 2 meeting with the Texas Longhorns will hold that title this year.

Why Texas Is Michigan’s Most Important Game This Season

Texas is fresh off of an appearance in the College Football Playoff and enters the season with lofty expectations. They are the No.4-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Meanwhile, the Wolverines are seemingly being written off despite entering the season as defending national champions.

Michigan will be led by a first-time head coach in Sherrone Moore and likely a first-time starting quarterback in Alex Orji.

The early season matchup with a formidable opponent will be the first real test of the post-Jim Harbaugh era. If they are able to beat the visiting Longhorns, it will provide a real confidence boost ahead of Big Ten play. Dropping the early season matchup, however, would leave the Wolverines with little margin for error the rest of the way.

A Look Back at the Last Time the Wolverines Played the Longhons

Jan 1, 2005; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Chad Henne (7) in action against the <yoastmark class=

The Michigan Wolverines and Texas Longhorns are two of the most storied programs in college football. They rank first and tied for fourth, respectively, in all-time wins. While both have played nearly 1,400 games, they will meet for just the second time in 2024.

The first meeting came in the 2005 Rose Bowl, with the Wolverines suffering a heartbreaking loss in a 38-37 thriller. Michigan will look to even up the all-time series when the Longhorns make their first ever visit to The Big House.

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