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Big Ten play is here, and No. 17 Iowa has a major challenge in front of it. 

The challenge? No. 18 Michigan at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon (2:30 CT, CBS).

One crucial piece of the puzzle was revealed on Monday when Iowa removed the "OR" from its depth chart and listed Hank Brown as its starting quarterback, but the Hawkeyes aren't the focus of this article. 

Though the Wolverines are one of the sport's biggest brands, there's been a lot of turnover in Ann Arbor this offseason. We'll have plenty of things to preview about this Michigan team throughout the week, but for now, here are five fast facts about the Wolverines. 

New Regime 

For as good as Michigan was under Jim Harbaugh, it may be hard for some to believe that the Wolverines are now on to their second head coach since Harbaugh departed after winning the national championship in 2023. 

Sherrone Moore's tenured crashed and burned very quickly, and he was fired for off the field legal troubles after the 2025 season, so Michigan turned to veteran head coach Kyle Whittingham to revamp the culture. Whittingham previously spent 21 seasons as Utah's head coach, winning 177 games and two major bowls. 

Whittingham is obviously the forefront of this new era of Wolverine football, but he also has an established staff with him to bring Michigan back to prominence. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck was Whittingham's offensive coordinator last year, and defensive coordinator played and coached for Whittingham at Utah as well. 

The Wolverines Play A Similar Style Of Football 

This week's film review will reveal the full story, but Whittingham's teams have long been known for playing a very physical style of football with heavy emphasis on the running game. Beck and Whittingham have only worked together for a year, but the marriage was a big success. Utah's ground game was a big reason why it went 11-2, and the Utes averaged 270 rushing yards per contest – the second-best mark in the nation. 

That success hasn't translated to Ann Arbor yet (Michigan is 12th in the Big Ten in rushing so far), but it does give Hawkeye fans an idea of what they will see from this Wolverine offense on Saturday. 

Michigan Could Easily Be 1-2 

Most college football fans have watched the Wolverines by now, but if you haven't been paying attention, now is the time to go back and see that Michigan could easily be entering this matchup unranked and 1-2 right now. The Wolverines had to use a controversial Hail Mary to take down in-state foe Western Michigan in the season opener before taking advantage of a John Mateer interception to defeat then-No. 11 Oklahoma the following weekend. 

The same sentence could be typed for just about every team right now (including Iowa, which escaped Iowa State by a whisker), but it does make you wonder what kind of team the Hawkeyes will see on Saturday. 

Lloyd Carr's Grandson Is The Backup QB 

Many Iowa fans remember the success Lloyd Carr had during his 13-year run as Michigan's head coach. Though Carr retired from coaching after the 2007 season, the Carr family legacy at the University of Michigan is beginning a new chapter.

Lloyd's grandson, Tommy, won the backup quarterback job to Bryce Underwood as a first-year and threw his first-career touchdown pass against UTEP last weekend. Underwood is the indefinite starter, but the younger Carr could be a name to watch down the road. 

Michigan Has Dominated The Overall Series 

Michigan is the winningest program in college football history, so it's not surprising to see it hold a distinct advantage over Iowa in the win column. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 45-15-4 and are currently riding a four-game winning streak, including Big Ten Championship Game wins in 2021 and 2023.

The annual battle between the two programs ended after both were placed in separate divisions after the 2013 season, and they've met just once in Ann Arbor since then (2019). Kirk Ferentz's best run against Michigan was from 2009-2016, when the Hawkeyes won five of six meetings. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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