Michigan football faces a more brutal 2026 schedule than most B1G teams

Michigan football might have a better team in 2026 with superior coaching to the past two seasons, but it will be a difficult task for the Wolverines to even replicate last year’s record of 9-3, given the schedule. Last year, the schedule was tough, but not singularly because of the opponents the maize and blue faced as much as it was because Michigan didn’t have two home games in a row at any point. However, this year, the Wolverines don’t leave Ann Arbor in the month of September, but because of the opponents they will face, it’s much tougher.

But how much tougher? How tough is the schedule overall?

Sporting News’ Bill Bender ranked Big Ten teams by how tough their schedule is, and Michigan comes in at No. 2, behind Ohio State, which has the No. 1 toughest schedule this year. The Wolverines face Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State, with the latter two being on the road.

Welcome to the Big Ten, Kyle Whittingham, where you will face a schedule that features four top-10 teams. The Wolverines face six ranked opponents, and the break is that four of those games are at home against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State and Indiana. The November road trips to Oregon and Ohio State add to that challenge. The Wolverines have not won three in a row at Ohio Stadium since 1986-90.

Welcome to the Big Ten, Kyle Whittingham, where you will face a schedule that features four top-10 teams. The Wolverines face six ranked opponents, and the break is that four of those games are at home against Oklahoma, Iowa, Penn State and Indiana. The November road trips to Oregon and Ohio State add to that challenge. The Wolverines have not won three in a row at Ohio Stadium since 1986-90.

The Buckeyes will face Texas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon, and the Wolverines this year, with four of those games being on the road. Yet, OSU tends to get the benefit of the doubt due to the long track record of success in Columbus.

Bender also ranks opponents on Michigan’s schedule as having the following difficulty:

• No. 8 Oregon

• No. 9 Minnesota

• No. 11 MSU

• No. 12 Rutgers

• No. 12 Indiana

• No. 14 UCLA

• No. 15 Iowa

• No. 18 Penn State

That should be noted, because for Penn State, the Michigan game is entirely its season-defining game, and it’s close for Iowa since the Hawkeyes have both Michigan and Ohio State on the schedule.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football faces a brutal 2026 schedule