Michigan Football 2026 Opponent Preview: Western Michigan
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The Michigan Wolverines are scheduled to kick off the 2026 season under the lights of the Big House against Western Michigan on Sept. 5. A familiar foe, the Broncos are no strangers to the 90-minute trip East to Ann Arbor. Although it has only been five years since the last inter-Mitten meeting between these two schools, let’s get to know the 2026 version of Western Michigan.
Coaching Staff
- Head Coach: Lance Taylor (4th season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Walt Bell (3rd season)
- Defensive Coordinator: Greer Martini (1st season)
2025 Record
- 10-4 (7-1) MAC champions
2025 Production Ranks
- Scoring Offense: 88th (3rd in the MAC)
- Total Offense: 103rd (6th in the MAC)
- Scoring Defense: 9th (2nd in the MAC)
- Total Defense: 17th (2nd in the MAC)
2025 TL;DR Recap
After dropping their first three games of the season — including losing by a combined score of 61-6 to Michigan State and Illinois — the Broncos rallied to win 10 of their next 11, beat Miami (OH) for the MAC championship and blow out Kennesaw State by 35 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The season marked the first time Western Michigan had won 10 games since 2016 and only the second time reaching the double-digit threshold in program history.
Key Departures
- Defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary (Joined Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers for the same position after one year in Kalamazoo)
- DE Nadame Tucker (55 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 21 TFLs, four forced fumbles)
- DE Rodney McGraw (42 tackles, seven sacks, 8.5 TFLs, three forced fumbles)
- LB James Camden (85 tackles, four sacks, five TFLs)
- S Tate Hollock (2025: 67 tackles, two TFLs, three interceptions)
- C Raheem Anderson (First-team All-MAC)
Key Returners
- QB Broc Lowry (166-for-262 (63 percent), 1,803 passing yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions; 962 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns)
- RB Jalen Buckley (1,003 rushing yards, 10 total touchdowns)
- RT Chad Schuster (First-Team All-MAC)
- CB Josh Franklin (53 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks)
Key Transfer Additions
- DT Zavien Tibbs (Houston)
- DE DeJuan Echoles (Ball State)
- DE Scoop Gardner Jr. (Long Island University)
- S Tahj Owens (Princeton)
- LB Austin Alexander (North Carolina)
- LT Brandon Smith (Illinois State)
Preseason Expectations (per Athlon Sports)
Projected MAC Finish: Second
“The Broncos have arguably the MAC’s top returning collection of talent with 10 returning starters, including quarterback Broc Lowry and running back Jalen Buckley. However, the reigning MAC champs will be working against history. No team from the MAC has won back-to-back conference titles since Northern Illinois accomplished that feat in 2011-12. In addition to the standout backfield of Lowry and Buckley, WMU returns one of the MAC’s top offensive lines with three starters back. The defense is coach Lance Taylor’s biggest concern with just three starters returning from a unit that limited teams to 17.4 points a contest last year. Standout end Nadame Tucker (21 TFL) will be missed off the edge. However, Taylor landed a couple of intriguing transfers to bolster this unit, including FCS standout Scoop Gardner Jr. (14.5 TFL last year) and Ahmed Tounkara (Ohio State). Cornerback Joshua Franklin leads a secondary that should be the strength of the ‘26 defense.”
Maize n Brew Thoughts
Michigan is 8-0 all-time against Western Michigan, with its most recent win coming in a 49-14 runaway in 2021. Unsurprisingly, the Wolverines are expected to continue this trend emphatically, with DraftKings currently favoring Michigan by 26.5 points. However, this is a team similar to New Mexico last year that will not be afraid of the moment in the Big House.
The Broncos are built to run the ball, control the clock and win the turnover battle, things all good programs prioritize. Last season, they proved they were a force to be reckoned with on the ground, but they will have to be better through the air to have a shot in this one. Furthermore, despite their potent rushing attack, the Broncos will have to improve their middling third-down offense and drastically improve their No. 125 red zone offense.
With an early-season showdown with Oklahoma looming, Western Michigan is the perfect opener for this team and new coaching staff. The Broncos are game enough to give the Wolverines a challenge, yet still overmatched to allow Michigan to work through rust and mistakes as the team establishes new identities on both sides of the ball. Expect a slow start, or even a slow first quarter, in this one until Michigan’s physicality on both sides of the line of scrimmage begins to overwhelm the Broncos.
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