Big Ten · Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan Football
2026 college football program hub
The short version
Michigan football in 2026
Michigan is 3-2 through 5 completed games: 3 wins, 2 losses.
Latest confirmed result: Michigan lost to Minnesota Golden Gophers, 14-20, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Michigan plays next against Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
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2026 season
Big Ten football
3-2 current recordHead coach
Kyle Whittingham
Leading the Michigan Wolverines through the 2026 season.
Program profile
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan
In pictures
MICH on game day
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
A new era in Ann Arbor
Michigan begins its 147th season under a new head coach. Kyle Whittingham arrives after 21 years at Utah, where he became the program's all-time wins leader with 177 victories, took the Utes to three conference titles and two Rose Bowls, and went unbeaten in 2008. He is 66, and this is the first time since 2004 he has led a team other than Utah.
That makes 2026 harder to project than most Michigan seasons. The roster is largely inherited, the schemes are new — Jason Beck brings a power spread on offense, Jay Hill a 4–2–5 on defense — and both coordinators are also in a first season in Ann Arbor.
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
A schedule built for a slow start
Whittingham could hardly have asked for a gentler introduction. Michigan opens with four straight home games — Western Michigan, Oklahoma, UTEP, and the Big Ten opener against Iowa — and plays only four road games all season, down from six in 2025.
The first trip is to Minnesota on October 3 for the Little Brown Jug, followed by the season's only bye. That structure gives a new staff most of September to install its systems in front of a home crowd before the schedule turns.
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
November decides it
The closing month is where this season will be judged. Michigan hosts Michigan State on November 7 for the 74th Paul Bunyan Trophy game — the 119th meeting in a series dating to 1898 — then travels to Oregon on November 14 for the first conference meeting between the programs, hosts UCLA, and finishes at Ohio State on November 28.
That final trip is the 122nd playing of The Game, and it is the only fixture on the calendar that can define the year on its own. Michigan faces five teams that finished the 2025 season ranked in the AP Top 25.
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More on MICH
Players
Roster
Published player records by position group, with available class years, measurements, and hometowns.
Staff
Coaches
Kyle Whittingham and the published staff directory.
Numbers
Season stats
Confirmed results, points scored and allowed, and per-game scoring averages.
Archive
Program history
Championships, milestones, and the program’s history.
League
Big Ten
The rest of the conference and how the title race is shaping up.
Nearby
Teams in Michigan
Other programs in the same state, if you follow more than one.
FAQ
MICH frequently asked questions
What is the MICH 2026 football record?
Michigan is 3-2 through 5 completed games: 3 wins, 2 losses.
When does MICH play next?
Michigan plays next against Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
Who coaches Michigan?
Kyle Whittingham is the head coach.
What conference does MICH play in?
Michigan competes in the Big Ten.
What happened to Sherrone Moore?
Michigan fired him for cause on December 10, 2025, after a university investigation found credible evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Associate head coach Biff Poggi ran the Citrus Bowl on an interim basis, and Whittingham was hired the following month.
What was Michigan's record last season?
9-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines went 9-3 through the regular season, then lost the Citrus Bowl to Texas 41-27 under an interim coach. They finished ranked 21st in the AP poll and 18th in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
Where is Michigan ranked to start 2026?
16th in the AP preseason poll. That is a cautious placement for a program with this roster, and it reflects the uncertainty of a first-year staff installing new systems on both sides of the ball rather than any doubt about the talent on hand.
How many national championships has Michigan won?
Eleven recognised national titles, the most recent in 2023. Michigan also holds the most wins of any program in college football history, a record it has led for most of the modern era.
What is the biggest question facing Michigan in 2026?
Whether an inherited roster takes quickly to two new schemes. Almost every player was recruited to run something else, and the coaching change came late enough that the staff spent its first offseason on retention rather than rebuilding the roster in its own image.
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