Wolverines face Oklahoma, Penn State, and rival Ohio State in a challenging 2026 slate, kicking off a new era under Coach Whittingham.
There is undeniably a quiet buzz this offseason in Ann Arbor, as many fans, former players, and alumni are excited to see what Kyle Whittingham brings to the table. Announced recently was the Wolverines 2026 Football schedule.
The University of Michigan Athletic Department and the Big Ten Conference announced jointly on Tuesday (Jan. 27) the Wolverines’ 2026 football schedule among the slate of games for all 18 conference members. Michigan will play eight home games during J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Kyle Whittingham’s first season leading the program, including all four games in September to start his tenure in Ann Arbor.
As previously announced, Michigan will begin the 147th season of gridiron action with three non-conference home games – Western Michigan (Sept. 5), Oklahoma (Sept. 12) and UTEP (Sept. 19) – before opening the nine-game Big Ten schedule.
The Wolverines will host Iowa (Sept. 26) at Michigan Stadium for their 120th conference opener as a Big Ten member. A week later at the beginning of October, Michigan will travel to Minneapolis for its first road contest of the 2026 season. Michigan and Minnesota will battle for the Little Brown Jug, the oldest trophy game in college football, for the 100th time at Huntington Bank Stadium (Oct. 3). The Wolverines hold a 74-23-2 record in the 99 previous games contested for the coveted jug.
After an open week on the schedule, U-M will return to the field for back-to-back games against Penn State (Oct. 17) and defending national champion Indiana (Oct. 24) at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines close out the October portion of their schedule with a trip to Rutgers on Halloween (Oct. 31).
The Maize and Blue will play its second rivalry trophy game of 2026 against Michigan State (Nov. 7) at the Big House. The annual battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy will be contested for the 74th time, with Michigan holding a 42-29-2 record. The Spartans are the Wolverines’ second-most-played opponent all-time, with this year’s meeting being the 119th in a series dating back to 1898; U-M holds a 75-38-5 advantage in the rivalry.
U-M will travel to Eugene for its first matchup with Oregon as conference foes at Autzen Stadium (Nov. 14) and a week later will play its first league game against new Big Ten opponent, UCLA, at Michigan Stadium (Nov. 21).
The regular season concludes with the 122nd playing of “The Game” against rival, Ohio State. The post-Thanksgiving clash will be held at Ohio Stadium (Nov. 28), where the Wolverines have won their last two trips to Columbus, 45-23 in 2022 and 13-10 in 2024. Michigan has a 62-53-6 advantage in the all-time series against the Buckeyes.
Following is the 2026 Michigan Football schedule:
Date Opponent
Sept. 5 Western Michigan
Sept. 12 Oklahoma
Sept. 19 UTEP
Sept. 26 Iowa*
Oct. 3 at Minnesota*
Oct. 10 OPEN
Oct. 17 Penn State*
Oct. 24 Indiana*
Oct. 31 at Rutgers*
Nov. 7 Michigan State*
Nov. 14 at Oregon*
Nov. 21 UCLA*
Nov. 28 at Ohio State*