The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Michigan football will once again be opening its season under the lights at the Big House to kick off its 147th season in program history. In fact, six of the Wolverines' first seven games will be at home. The Big Ten Conference announced kickoff times for the first three weeks of the 2026 campaign, the first under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, in early June, with the Sept. 5 opener against Western Michigan set for a 7:30 p.m. ET designation on NBC. It will be the third season in a row that the Wolverines open the campaign at home in the night game slot on NBC after wins over Fresno State (30-10) and New Mexico (34-17) in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The previously announced kick time for the Oklahoma game on Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor remains at 12 p.m. on FOX as part of the net- work's Big Noon Saturday slate. The Week 3 showdown at home against UTEP will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET and be broadcast via the Big Ten Network. The only other known game time at this moment is the season finale at Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 28, set for noon on FOX. Michigan has also announced its crowd themes for a pair of home games. The Oklahoma matchup will be a Maize Out, while the Sept. 26 contest with Iowa will be a Stripe Out, last attempted in 2024 for a 27-24 win over USC. Additional game times will be announced as the 2026 season gets closer, and most will come via the 12 or 6-day windows cho- sen by the networks. As part of the Big Ten's television deal, U-M's games will be televised via FOX, NBC, CBS and the Big Ten Network during the regular season. — Anthony Broome PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL THE BIG PICTURE 6 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 ❱ SEVERAL KICKOFF TIMES, CROWD THEMES SET FOR 2026 FOOTBALL SEASON