Michigan football can improve its coaching staff, it can improve its roster. But in the eyes of many, the Wolverines cannot improve on the field.
Yes, the 2026 schedule is brutal, but very few believe that the maize and blue will improve upon the 9-3 season from last year, now with Kyle Whittingham leading the charge.
It's been widely documented the woes of the previous coaching staff, and Whittingham, with his 21-year track record, is a massive improvement on his predecessor. Regardless, the CBS Sports college football staff doesn't have a lot of faith in his ability to get the most out of his group compared to the field in the Big Ten.
In the conference primer, Michigan was listed as one of the most overrated teams in the Big Ten.
Michigan: Don't
get me wrong, Michigan will be good. The Wolverines have an extremely talented roster with draft picks littered across the two-deep. But I question a few things:
1. There's a lot of new in Ann Arbor. Kyle Whittingham is one of the sport's best coaches, but his staff—mostly coming from Utah—is stepping into a different situation in the Big Ten.
2. I continue to hear the passing game with Bryce Underwood is a work in progress, and the Wolverines lack elite weapons.
3. The defense that kept Michigan in games last year returns just three starters.
Oh yeah, the schedule is brutal. Oklahoma, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State are all on deck. That's not an easy path. -- Chris Hummer (also Brad Crawford)
Only two CBS analysts, on the panel of seven, had the Wolverines finishing fourth (no one had the maize and blue finishing higher) in the Big Ten. Two analysts had Michigan finishing sixth, two seventh, and one eighth -- behind Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, USC, Washington, Penn State, and Iowa.
- Tom Fornelli: 6th
- Chip Patterson: 6th
- Brandon Marcello: 4th
- John Talty: 4th
- Richard Johnson: 7th
- Brad Crawford: 8th
- Chris Hummer: 7th
Michigan does play all but two of those teams and will have the ability to choose its own adventure by winning the head-to-head matchups on the field. Ohio State, Oregon, and USC both have very difficult schedules, while Penn State and Washington have easier schedules than most in the conference.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: CBS Sports labels Michigan football overrated entering 2026
