The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 121 Opponent Position Groups Ranked Among The Nation's Best Athlon Sports ranks the best position groups nationally every year in its annual preseason magazine. Here's where U-M foes from the 2026 slate checked in: Oregon No. 1 defensive line, No. 2 quarterbacks, No. 2 defensive backs, No. 4 wide receivers, No. 5 linebackers, No. 6 offensive line, No. 9 running backs Ohio State No. 1 wide receivers, No. 3 quarterbacks, No. 4 offensive line, No. 4 defensive backs, No. 7 defensive line, No. 8 running backs Indiana No. 3 offensive line, No. 3 linebackers, No. 4 defensive line, No. 5 wide receivers, No. 5 defensive backs, No. 9 quarterbacks Oklahoma No. 6 defensive line, No. 6 linebackers, No. 8 defensive backs Iowa No. 8 offensive line Opponents On Preseason All-America Teams OL Kade Pieper, Iowa — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (1st) OL Carter Smith, Indiana — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (1st) WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (1st) S Koi Perich, Oregon — Lindy's (1st), Athlon (2nd at returner, 3rd at safety) OL Iapani Laloulu, Oregon — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (2nd) K Tate Sandell, Oklahoma — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (2nd) DL David Stone, Oklahoma — Lindy's (1st), Athlon (2nd) LB Teitum Tuioti, Oregon — Lindy's (1st), Athlon (2nd) DL A'Mauri Washington, Oregon — Athlon (1st), Lindy's (2nd) QB Dante Moore, Oregon — Lindy's (1st), Athlon (3rd) LB Rolijah Hardy, Indiana — Athlon (1st) DL Tyrique Tucker, Indiana — Athlon (1st) LB Isaiah Jones, Indiana — Athlon (2nd), Lindy's (2nd) OL Trevor Lauck, Iowa — Athlon (2nd), Lindy's (2nd) QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State — Athlon (2nd), Lindy's (2nd) DL Anthony Smith, Minnesota — Athlon (2nd), Lindy's (2nd) WR Charlie Becker, Indiana — Athlon (2nd) WR KJ Duff, Rutgers — Athlon (2nd) S Amare Ferrell, Indiana — Athlon (2nd) TE Jamari Johnson, Oregon — Athlon (2nd) LB Kip Lewis, Oklahoma — Athlon (2nd) OL Austin Siereveld, Ohio State — Athlon (2nd) CB Brandon Finney Jr., Oregon — Athlon (3rd) P Grayson Miller, Oklahoma — Athlon (3rd) RB Antwan Raymond, Rutgers — Athlon (3rd) DL Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon — Athlon (3rd) DL Taylor Wein, Oklahoma — Athlon (3rd) Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith is viewed as the top wide receiver in col- lege football and projected to go as a top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Easiest Game: Sept. 5 vs. UTEP The Miners went 2-10 last sea- son, and Michigan is 14-1 all time against the Mountain West, the league UTEP is moving to from Conference USA. The lone loss, coincidentally, came against Kyle Whittingham's 2008 Utah team. Trap Game: Oct. 3 at Minnesota Head coach P.J. Fleck's team is al- most always solid, and Minnesota has a lot of talent returning on of- fense. If quarterback Drake Lind- sey truly becomes one of the top NFL Draft prospects at his position this season, Michigan could be in for a challenge in Minneapolis. Best Road Environment: Nov. 28 at Ohio State Ohio State fans believe it's their birthright to beat Michigan, even though the Buckeyes have only one win in the last five tries and haven't taken down U-M in Co- lumbus since 2018. That stadium will be rocking. Best Home Atmosphere: Oklahoma Early fall weather, both teams likely 1-0 and the first-ever meet- ing between Michigan and Okla- homa in Ann Arbor will make for an electric afternoon at The Big House. This one will kick off at noon Eastern time on FOX, but the fans will be ready to go. Best Road Trip: Oregon Autzen Stadium is only the 11th-largest Big Ten venue with a 54,000-person capacity, making for a tough ticket. But Michigan fans who make the trip Nov. 14 will be rewarded with beautiful scenery. Eugene, the second- most populous city in Oregon, is situated in the Willamette Valley and features views of two moun- tain ranges, the Cascades to the east and the Coast to the west. There are plenty of opportunities to explore outside of the football game. Factoid Michigan has beaten Michigan State in four straight meetings for the first time since taking six in a row from 2002-07. The Wolverines will have an opportunity to make it five at home on Nov. 7. Indiana defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker (95) and Oregon quarter- back Dante Moore (5) are just two of the preseason All-Americans that Michigan will line up against this year. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA ATHLETICS M I C H I G A N S C H E D U L E S U P E R L AT I V E S