Michigan's athletic department still faces a significant budget deficit for the current fiscal year.
But the strain could be lessened with the return of college football, said athletic director Warde Manuel.
"We don’t know the final potential impact of playing less games, but based on our estimates, if we do have the ability to play the games this year and get through everything, our deficit would go from $100 million to about $80 million,” Manuel said on the latest episode of the "Conqu'ring Heroes" podcast with Jon Jansen on Tuesday afternoon.