The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 15 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL The Big Ten Conference in the fall of 2023 announced five years' worth of future football schedules for the 2024-2028 seasons. With the additions of UCLA, Oregon, Southern California (USC) and Wash- ington, 2024 was the first season with 18 teams and no divisional format. The two teams with the best conference records will meet in the conference championship game in Indianapolis, with this year's game falling on Dec. 5. Game dates and times for Big Ten Conference games in 2027-28 are still to be determined. Only the home and away locations have been released. Michigan State and Ohio State are the two annual "protected" rivalry games that will remain on Michigan's schedule each season. Michigan will have five Big Ten home games (and four away) this season and in 2028, and five conference away games (and four home) in 2027. From a nonconference perspective, Michigan has a strong lineup of marquee teams scheduled. The Wolverines will host Oklahoma Sept. 12 in the second leg of a home-and-home series. Similarly, Michigan will play at Texas in 2027 after having hosted the Longhorns in 2024. Both Oklahoma and Texas began play in the Southeastern Confer- ence in 2024. Looking well into the future, Michi- gan'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 re- gional matchups with Mid-American Conference (MAC) schools, including: Western Michigan (2026 and 2029), Buffalo (2027) and Eastern Michigan (2027 and 2030). U-M has not yet an- nounced any nonconference oppo- nents for the 2028 season. — Mark Panus Future Michigan Football Opponents — 2027 Through 2034 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 Note: Home games denoted in CAPS; Schedules subject to change Michigan's Future Football Schedules Tommy Carr's Michigan connections couldn't be more solid. Now he gets to add his piece to the puzzle. The grandson of former head coach Lloyd Carr, grandson of Michigan All- America safety Tom Curtis, and son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr earned the No. 2 spot on the Wolverines' quar- terbacks depth chart this spring. Just as importantly, he earned the new head coach's respect. "First of all, he's got that 'it factor' for a quarterback, that confidence, that field general mentality, the way he carries himself," Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "He's a football junkie. I'm in the facility at 10 at night, I walk by the quarterback room, and there's Tommy Carr watching film all by himself in the film room. He is com- pletely just immersed in his develop- ment, as far as trying to get better and doing everything he can to perfect his craft. That's really what you want to see in your quarterback. "He's a leader by nature, and by virtue of position, you better be a leader at the quarterback spot." Carr himself knows what it means to lead, as a two-year starter at nearby Saline High and via his gargantuan gridiron bloodlines. "It's just the experience they had," Carr noted of his lineage. "They've been through it all. When they give me advice, I listen, be- cause they know what they're talking about. That's been a big help in this process." As for his study habits, Carr insisted it's just what the job requires. "You want to be as prepared as pos- sible, just for the next practice," he said. "You've got to take practice like it's a game and do whatever you can to be the most prepared possible. Whether that's watching film or just doing re- covery, that's what you've got to do." Michigan's roster thinness at quarter- back certainly didn't hurt him in get- ting up to college-game speed, Carr admitted. "Early on, it was a big change," he said. "Receivers, defenses — every- one's faster. I've been blessed to get a lot of reps this spring, and I just got more comfortable as it went on." He's looking to get "as strong as pos- sible" this summer, gain weight, and learn the playbook backward and forward. He's also looking to keep the family tradition going inside Schembechler Hall. "I get to walk into Schem every day and see my grandpas' pictures," said Carr. "There's a picture with the family, and I'm up there with my grandpa, my dad and my other grandpa. It's pretty cool, just to see that every day." — John Borton Tommy Carr Could Be A Driving Force At No. 2 Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr boasts some impressive family ties. He is the paternal grandson of former head coach Lloyd Carr, maternal grandson of Michigan All-America safety Tom Curtis, son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr and brother of current Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL