Michigan football start time vs Penn State announced for Week 7 game

When Michigan football returns to action following its bye week, it will do so in the mid-afternoon slot.

The Michigan vs. Penn State start time is 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Week 7 of the college football season.

The Michigan (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) vs. Penn State (3-2, 0-2) TV network will be announced Monday, Oct. 12, according to an announcement from the program.

The Wolverines are off in Week 6 and "soul searching" on the heels of back-to-back losses, including their most recent 20-14 defeat to Minnesota, the first time the program lost possession of the Little Brown Jug since 2014 and its first loss in Minneapolis since 1977 (when coach Kyle Whittingham was in high school).

U-M is winless through two Big Ten games for the first time since 2014 and just the second time since 1967, but will return to the field against a program that is equally reeling.

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The Nittany Lions, also with a first-year head coach in Matt Campbell, have lost their first two league games, blowing a 17-point lead at home to Wisconsin, 24-20, before this past week where they got pounded at Northwestern in the debut of the new Ryan Field, 34-13, on Friday.

Both U-M and PSU opened the season ranked in the top 20. Now, each needs this victory to get its season back on the rails. U-M has four games remaining against teams currently ranked in the coaches poll, hosting No. 5 Indiana and No. 22 UCLA, with road trips scheduled to No. 13 Oregon and No. 6 Ohio State.

The matchup against PSU is one of three games remaining against a team outside the top 25; the other two are a road game at Rutgers and a home rivalry matchup with Michigan State, two of the other five winless teams in Big Ten play.

This is the third time U-M will play at 3:30 p.m. through its first six games, going 1-1 so far by knocking off UTEP 52-17 and falling to Iowa 20-19.

U-M hasn't trailed by more than one possession at any point this season, but also has been tied or trailing in the fourth quarter in four games. Whittingham said he's in the middle of perhaps "the biggest challenge" he has faced in more than four decades as a coach.

Penalties, turnovers, and a broken offense that has questions about identity and quarterback play are all at the top of the list.

Michigan football schedule 2026

• Week 1: W, 13-12 vs Western Michigan.
• Week 2: W, 17-10 vs Oklahoma.
• Week 3: W, 52-17 vs UTEP.
• Week 4: L, 20-19 vs. Iowa.
• Week 5: L, 20-14 at Minnesota.
• Week 6: Bye week.
• Week 7: vs Penn State, Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. (TV TBA).
• Week 8: vs Indiana, Saturday, Oct. 24 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 9: at Rutgers, Saturday, Oct. 31 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 10: vs Michigan State, Saturday, Nov. 7 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 11: at Oregon, Saturday, Nov. 14 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 12: vs UCLA, Saturday, Nov. 21 (time and TV TBA).
• Week 13: at Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 28, noon, Fox.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football start time vs Penn State announced for Week 7 game