The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 15 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Opponents and home/away locations are known for Big Ten Conference games in 2026- 28, but the dates and times are still to be an- nounced. Michigan State and Ohio State are the two an- nual "protected" rivalry games that will remain on Michigan's schedule each season. U-M will have five Big Ten home games (and four away) in 2026 and 2028, and five confer- ence away games (and four home) in 2025 and 2027. From a nonconference perspective, Michigan has a strong lineup of marquee teams sched- uled. The Wolverines will travel to Norman, Okla., to face Oklahoma this Sept. 26 and then host the Sooners in a return game at Michigan Stadium in 2026. Similarly, Michigan will play at Texas in 2027 after hosting the Longhorns in 2024. Both Oklahoma and Texas began play in the Southeastern Conference last season. Looking well into the future, Michigan's other marquee nonconference opponent is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are scheduled for a home-and-home series with Michigan, and the games will be played in Ann Arbor in 2033 and in South Bend in 2034. Michigan's known nonconference opponents in the future are mostly regional matchups with Mid-American Conference (MAC) schools, but the Wolverines will face a Conference USA foe in Texas-El Paso in 2026. The MAC opponents Michigan will host in The Big House are: Central Michigan (2025 and 2030), Western Michigan (2026 and 2029), Buffalo (2027) and Eastern Michigan (2027). — Mark Panus According to Bill LeMonnier, ESPN's lead College Football Rules Analyst, the UM/MSU rivalry is the "most intense rivalry" that he ever officiated not Michigan vs. Ohio State! Find out why a football game between the Wolverines and Spartans is always one of the most watched games of the college football season. Learn the history of this Mitten State rivalry and discover why these two teams have never liked each other and probably never will! This is the only book in the world that tells the complete story of one of college football's greatest rivalries. Go Blue, Beat MSU in 2025! Barry Gallagher is a lifelong Maize and Blue football fan and historian. He is a best-selling author of 13 books and the only man to author 8 books about the Michigan Wolverines. Go Blue! Get Ready for the 2025 Football Season with an "Intense" Read The History of Michigan vs. Michigan State – Every Game from 1898 to 2024! Purchase this book on 2026 Date Opponent Sept. 5 WESTERN MICHIGAN Sept. 12 OKLAHOMA Sept. 19 UTEP TBA INDIANA TBA IOWA TBA MICHIGAN STATE TBA PENN STATE TBA UCLA TBA at Minnesota TBA at Ohio State TBA at Oregon TBA at Rutgers 2027 Date Opponent Sept. 4 BUFFALO Sept. 11 at Texas Sept. 18 EASTERN MICHIGAN TBA ILLINOIS TBA OHIO STATE TBA OREGON TBA RUTGERS TBA at Indiana TBA at Iowa TBA at Michigan State TBA at Penn State TBA at UCLA 2028 Date Opponent TBA MARYLAND TBA MICHIGAN STATE TBA NEBRASKA TBA NORTHWESTERN TBA USC TBA at Ohio State TBA at Purdue TBA at Washington TBA at Wisconsin Future Nonconference Opponents Year Opponent 2029 WESTERN MICHIGAN 2030 EASTERN MICHIGAN 2033 NOTRE DAME 2034 at Notre Dame Michigan's Future Football Schedules Note: Home games denoted in CAPS; Schedules subject to change Future Michigan Football Opponents Through 2034