2026 Opponent Snapshot: Michigan Wolverines

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Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham

Last Season’s Record: 9-4, 7-2 in Big Ten

Quick 2025 Recap: The Wolverines performed poorly against top competition on the field, and dealt with controversy on the field en route to to a mediocre season. The Maize and Blue started off with a victory against New Mexico before falling in their first road test against Oklahoma. After three straight wins, including a victory at Nebraska, Michigan lost on the road again, this time to USC in relatively dominant fashion. They would not lose again until a pathetic offensive showing at home against Ohio State, and closed out the year with a double-digit loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl. All of this occured while Sherrone Moore was caught up in off-field issues, resulting in Kyle Whittingham replacing him in December 2025.

Offensive Player to Watch: QB Bryce Underwood

The five-star signal-caller enters his sophomore campaign as the returning starter, despite a lot of discussion among Michigan fans that maybe it is time to move to Wolverine legacy Tommy Carr, grandson of former coach Lloyd Carr. Carr performed well in the spring game, but new coach Whittingham has reiterated that Underwood is still the starter.

Defensive Player to Watch: CB Jyaire Hill

It was tempting to choose new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, but the Wolverines’ leader in the secondary is the next logical choice. Michigan’s secondary has underperformed the last few seasons, and will need a big year from Hill if they expect to contend for a conference title.

Michigan Wins If…The Big House demons come back, Bryce Underwood shows out, and the Wolverine defense takes a step forward from 2025

The fact that this game is in Ann Arbor definitely makes this contest one of the tougher ones of the season (in my opinion). This game will also be the third difficult game of the season for Michigan after their matchups with Oklahoma and Iowa, so they will be battle-tested. The Wolverines also need to be careful to not look ahead to their game the following week against Indiana. With all that said, the outcome will hinge on Underwood’s effectiveness. If he is efficient in the passing game and defense holds up in the secondary, Michigan will get the win.

Penn State Wins If…They force Underwood to make mistakes and play error-free on the offensive side

I know, I know…you can say this about any game-but some teams can overcome mediocre-to-bad quarterback play, and less talented ones can’t. Given that this game is on the road, Rocco Becht and crew will need to take care of the football, and defensively, turnovers are a must. I feel better about this one than I typically do because Penn State will already have faced USC, and that result might go a long way to building confidence for the Big House.

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