The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 25 H ead coach Kyle Whittingham is new to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry and took some criticism about his quotes regarding the rivalry from Big Ten Media Days. In Chicago, Whittingham said he didn't "hate" Ohio State or head coach Ryan Day — but the new U-M coach did express his deep desire to beat the Buck- eyes. "I've learned how intense that rivalry is, how important the game is," Whit- tingham said in late July. "Hate's a strong word, but I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor. And, you know, like I said earlier on, what bet- ter scenario would there be if that game came down to the championship of the Big Ten. That would be outstanding." Perplexed by the reaction to his com- ments in the following weeks, Whit- tingham cut into a reporter's question at an Aug. 10 press conference to make his stance clear. "Do we have a better chance to win if I hated them, or what?" Whittingham said. "I mean, I don't understand. What- ever gives us the best chance to win, I'm all for. I want to beat them worse than anybody around, and so I don't know how that got to be such a hot topic." Despite the overwhelming majority of the coaching staff being new to Michi- gan, the Wolverines are still dedicating time in practice and workouts with a fo- cus on Ohio State. "There are periods in practice, seg- ments or things in the weight room that that's talked about," Whittingham said. "We've got the countdown clocks. "I'm not trying to downplay that at all. It's a huge game, gigantic. And it's some- thing that we all have in the back of our mind 24/7. So I don't know, I probably should've worded it differently — that game is of the utmost importance. "It's not surprising. I guess I set myself up for it in a lot of ways, but don't con- fuse that with a lack of desire to win the game. I mean, we obviously understand that this is 'The Game,' as we call it." Whittingham has been in fierce rival- ries before, most notably the "Holy War" between Utah and BYU. He was on both sides of that, as a player for the Cougars and longtime coach with the Utes. As Utah's head coach, he went 11-6 in that series. Now, he's learning a new one — and all that comes with it. — Chris Balas KYLE WHITTINGHAM ASKED ABOUT ERIC WEDDLE'S COMMENTS Former Utah and NFL safety Eric Weddle, who was coached by U-M head coach Kyle Whittingham, made waves with comments this spring about Michi- gan sophomore quarterback Bryce Un- derwood. Whittingham was asked about those comments during a press confer- ence Aug. 10 and gave a succinct and di- rect answer. Weddle saw Michigan play in person twice last season and attended a practice in Ann Arbor this spring with his son, 2028 four-star recruit Gaige Weddle. He had some pointed remarks on Under- wood while appearing on a podcast. "Don't be surprised if the backup is playing early because that Underwood kid, I don't think he could throw or play quarterback, so we'll see." Weddle went on to say that he be- lieves the quarterback position should be taught "from the pocket," and that he ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Kyle Whittingham Wants To Beat Ohio State 'Worse Than Anybody' Whittingham is no stranger to rivalry games like the Michigan-Ohio State clash, going 11-6 in the "Holy War" against BYU while at Utah. PHOTO BY TY KORNBLUE 2026 MICHIGAN SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Sept. 5 vs. Western Michigan 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 vs. Oklahoma Noon Sept. 19 vs. UTEP 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26 vs. Iowa* TBA Oct. 3 at Minnesota* TBA Oct. 17 vs. Penn State* TBA Oct. 24 vs. Indiana* TBA Oct. 31 at Rutgers* TBA Nov. 7 vs. Michigan State* TBA Nov. 14 at Oregon* TBA Nov. 21 vs. UCLA* TBA Nov. 28 at Ohio State* Noon All times Eastern * Big Ten game