Athlon: Michigan faces five top-25 teams, including No. 1 Ohio State, in Kyle Whittingham's debut

The Michigan Wolverines enter the 2026 season as one of the most interesting teams in the country with Kyle Whittingham now at the helm and a young, talented roster that experienced a 9-win season in 2025.

But just about everything about this year looks more intense than the season that preceded it, from the head coach on the sideline to the schedule it will face.

Athlon Sports previewed Michigan in its 2026 College Football Preview, now on newsstands, and has the Wolverines as the No. 13 team in the country. Several teams inside the top 25 have also made their way onto the schedule.

“New head coach Kyle Whittingham inherits a team poised to contend for the playoff,” Steven Lassan wrote in Athlon’s annual football preview magazine. “The Wolverines will be strong once again on defense, but the development of dynamic quarterback Bryce Underwood looms large against a schedule that includes matchups against Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State. Jordan Marshall and true freshman Savion Hiter form one of the top backfield tandems in the nation.”

Michigan gets a stiff test from the Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor, who rank 8th heading into the 2026 season. The Wolverines lost 24-13 in Norman last season and will be playing the second game of a home-and-home series at the Big House.

“The Sooners have a few holes to plug on defense, but head coach Brent Venables will find a way to keep this unit near the top of the SEC,” Athlon said. “An improved supporting cast and offensive line should help quarterback John Mateer take a step forward after an up-and-down (and injury-plagued) debut in Norman last year.”

As the schedule flips to Big Ten play, Michigan will see three of Athlon’s top-6 teams and two more top-25 opponents in its conference slate. The first up is No. 25 Iowa, two weeks after the Oklahoma game on Sept. 26 in Ann Arbor.

“The Hawkeyes return only six starters and have several holes to fill from a standout ’25 defense,” Athlon said. “However, head coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff usually find the right answers. Also, a rock-solid offensive line and deep stable of running backs should help ease the transition to a new quarterback.”

Two more games and a bye week pass before Penn State, Athlon’s No. 18 team, comes to the Big House on Oct. 17 for a showdown with Michigan.

“After last year’s disappointing seven-win season, expectations are significantly lower this fall in Happy Valley,” Lassan wrote. “New head coach Matt Campbell brought in 40 transfers, with quarterback Rocco Becht among those following him from Iowa State. The schedule breaks in Penn State’s favor by missing Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana.”

Defending national champion Indiana comes to town one week later on Oct. 24, and ranks No. 5 in Athlon’s preseason pecking order.

“The Hoosiers lost a handful of key players from last season’s championship squad, but head coach Curt Cignetti’s team isn’t going anywhere,” Lassan said. “Both sides of the ball found reinforcements in the portal, with quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU) and receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State) among the players poised for the biggest impact.”

Michigan’s loaded slate of opponents shifts to the road in November as the schedule’s intensity picks up. U-M heads to Oregon on Nov. 14 to take on the No. 6 team in the country.

“All of the pieces are in place for Oregon to win its first national title,” Athlon says. “Quarterback Dante Moore and a group of key defenders all passed on the NFL for one more season in Eugene. A road trip to Ohio State in November could decide a spot in the Big Ten Championship game.”

Of course, the season builds towards the finale against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who snapped a four-game losing streak to Michigan with a dominant 27-9 win in Ann Arbor last November. Athlon has OSU as its preseason No. 1 team heading into the 2026 campaign.

“The Buckeyes appeared to be the team to beat for most of the ’25 season,” Lassan said. “However, head coach Ryan Day’s squad stumbled late with back-to-back losses to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game and to Miami (Fla.) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. That two-game losing streak is likely to fuel Ohio State in ’26. Quarterback Julian Sayin should be better in his second year as the starter, and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is back to dominate opposing defenses as arguably the top returning player in college football.

“Sayin and Smith will be even more dangerous if the ground attack provides a little more support under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Safety Caleb Downs, linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese and defensive lineman Kayden McDonald are just a few of the top names departing a suffocating defense. However, it’s hard to doubt coordinator Matt Patricia’s ability to keep this unit near the top of the Big Ten this season after a stellar debut last fall. A schedule that includes road trips to Texas, Indiana and USC and a home game against Oregon won’t be easy.”

Athlon’s Kyle Wood also named Michigan at Ohio State on Nov. 28 as the No. 5 most-anticipated game of the 2026 season.

“The Buckeyes ended their losing streak in the series with a resounding win in ’25, setting the stage for Ohio State to take back control of the epic rivalry,” Wood wrote. “However, the arrival of new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham and the development of quarterback Bryce Underwood throw an interesting wrinkle into the 122nd iteration of The Game.”

Michigan kicks off its 2026 season on Sept. 5 at home against Western Michigan. It will be the program’s 147th season of competition and 99th playing in the Big House.

Where Michigan football’s other opponents rank:

Sept. 5: Western Michigan (87th)
Sept. 19: UTEP (130th)
Oct. 3: at Minnesota (42nd)
Oct. 31: at Rutgers (69th)
Nov. 7: Michigan State (72nd)
Nov. 21: UCLA (43rd)