Joel Klatt sets expectations for Michigan football in 2026

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Fox Sports' premier college football analyst Joel Klatt has long thought highly of Michigan football, and he's long thought highly of Kyle Whittingham. So, what will it look like with the former Utah head coach leading the Wolverines? Klatt's guess is as good as any, but his big thing, essentially, is the stability.

On Wednesday, Klatt released his new episode and shared his thoughts about what a successful season would look like for several teams — Michigan included. And he starts out with just having stability and competency under Kyle Whittingham.

"Let's move to Ann Arbor and the Michigan Wolverines," Klatt said. "Obviously, they've had a huge reset there. They're going to get a new athletic director at the end of the season. They brought in Kyle Whittingham after his pseudo-retirement from Utah. Now here he comes, and he's going to be the head coach of the Wolverines. Listen, we all agree throughout college football, it does not matter who you talk to. This is not just me talking. This was a terrific hire by Michigan. 

"Now Whittingham, entering his first season, is there to stabilize the program. And I would argue that there is no better stabilizer in college football than Kyle Whittingham. So what should the expectations be? This was a little bit of a harder exercise. Are they going to be talented? Yes. They're going to be much more experienced on the offensive side. And they've got a guy like Jason Beck, the offensive coordinator, who comes with Whittingham from Utah. And we anticipate that they will be a very formidable offense, in particular, running the football. How will Bryce Underwood take his next step and develop into being a starting quarterback? That remains to be seen. And we will see if they decide to run him quite a bit, which, as you know, I've been talking about a lot this offseason."

What if Michigan football looks significantly better on the field but the record doesn't look any different? Klatt says that's a real possibility. Even so, going 9-3 in the regular season would have some kind of positive result.

Klatt explains more about the schedule and what he thinks will happen in what's potentially a historic gauntlet unlike what Michigan has ever seen before.

"That schedule is also very difficult," Klatt said. "Michigan has no favors on their schedule. Week 2, we will be there. Gus, Jenny, and I, Big Noon Saturday, Big Noon kickoff. We will be there in Ann Arbor as they welcome in the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma, of course, fresh off of that playoff appearance a year ago. They've got home games against Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana. They've got road games in November against Oregon and Ohio State. Not easy. Not easy. And that's why the expectations are going to be modest. 

"I understand that Michigan fans, they want everything, they want it all the time. I totally understand that. But if you're really boiling this down, let me define a successful season for Michigan: and it comes in waves or parts, if you will. First part, drama-free. After the last couple of years, let's face it, you want a drama-free regular season in Ann Arbor. That would be goal No. 1. No. 2 would be nine wins in the regular season. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, 'Joel, we won nine games a year ago.' Yes, I understand that. But with this schedule, remember, nine wins in the regular season would mean that you've got at least one win over a team that I have inside of my top nine in my preseason poll that you got last week. Go check it out on YouTube. Remember, subscribe to the channel. Go back and check my preseason rankings. That would mean a win over either OU, Indiana, Oregon, or Ohio State. So doesn't nine wins with a win over one of those teams feel a little bit different than the nine wins from a year ago? I would say it would.

"So drama-free, nine regular season wins. And in that case, I think you're in the CFP conversation. Yes, you'd love to beat Ohio State. And I understand that that's always going to be a goal for Michigan. But to really define a successful season, it's really two parts. Drama-free, nine wins in the regular season, which means a win over one of those teams that I have in my top nine in the preseason."

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Joel Klatt sets expectations for Michigan football in 2026

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