The Michigan Wolverines
kick off the 2026 season against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday. Not only is the opener a chance to start the Kyle Whittingham era with a win, but it’s an opportunity to set a tone for the season as a whole.“We want to play well every week, but the opener is certainly a chance to find out who you are, what you’re all about, and what your strengths and weaknesses are,” Whittingham said during his Week 1 press conference on Monday morning. “This will be a good opportunity
to see where we are.”
Coming off a whirlwind offseason that included welcoming in a new coaching staff and plenty of new players through the transfer portal and the high school ranks, Michigan will be looking establish a strong identity moving forward. The season opener provides a platform to do so before the schedule ramps up.
“There will be bigger tests down the road,” Whittingham said. “Not to disparage Western Michigan because they are a really good team and we’re not overlooking them, but we know the degree of difficulty goes up as the season moves on.”
With a looming marquee matchup against Oklahoma in Week 2, this weekend’s game against Western Michigan should help the program knock off some rust and iron out wrinkles that are sure to come with a new scheme.
Even though the Wolverines are heavy favorites, Western Michigan isn’t exactly a cupcake non-conference opponent. The Broncos are considered a step above a typical MAC opponent, so taking them lightly is not an option for the Wolverines. Whittingham’s teams at Utah were historically defined by discipline, physicality and toughness, so implementing that approach this weekend would immediately show that the Wolverines are going to have a similar identity as well.
“I want to see a clean game, execution-wise,” Whittingham said. “Offensively, eliminate false starts and pre-snap penalties and things that are sloppy. Defensively, hopefully we can be sharp tacklers. That will be very key for us.”
A decisive and no-nonsense win filled with great execution would prove the Wolverines possess a level of discipline and focus they lacked at times in 2025. No matter what, the season debut could tell us a lot about the type of team we’ll see this season.
There will also likely be an adjustment period on both sides of the ball as the Wolverines adapt to new systems. A crisp and smooth execution of the game plan would be a positive development as Michigan tries to be more disciplined moving forward.
“We just have to play hard,” Whittingham said. “There’s going to be some mistakes in any season opener, but great effort can cover up a lot of those mistakes if we’re running the ball well and playing hard on every single snap.”
The Wolverines often lacked fundamentals last season — specifically against quality opponents — so it’s pivotal to play with more focus this year so they can master the basics, which will then help them install the rest of the game plans each and every week. Western Michigan might not be a top-tier opponent, but it’s still key to be sharper nonetheless.
The opener will be a litmus test to see where the team stands right now, offering a chance to create good habits and revealing areas to improve on, as well as potentially providing a glimpse into the long-term potential for this season. It’s just one game, but one game can set the tone for an entire season.
