The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546678
12 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE MOVED UP, MICHIGAN ADJUSTS 2027 SLATE The NCAA's FBS Oversight Committee approved changes to the college football calendar on Aug. 28, moving up the schedule by one week and shortening the transfer portal window. A final approval is still required from the Division I Cabinet during its Oct. 6-7 meeting. Under the new calendar change, the FBS season moves up a week to what has been considered Week 0, with the second week of games playing out over Labor Day weekend moving forward. It also allows for a second bye week. U-M has moved its nonconference dates on its 2027 schedule up a week to account for the change. The season opener vs. Buffalo in Ann Arbor is now set for Aug. 28, while the road trip to Texas is now Sept. 4 and the nonconference finale vs. Eastern Michigan takes place Sept. 11. Michigan has also scheduled Bowling Green for Aug. 25, 2029, signaling the expected calendar change. The spring and summer activity calendar is getting changes, too. Under the new policy, teams will be allowed to conduct 21 on-field practices across two offseason sessions. The two sessions may not exceed seven weeks, and no single session can last more than five weeks, which could break up the offseason into two, NFL-style OTA periods as opposed to traditional spring camp. Additionally, the new calendar would force schools to mandate a minimum of nine discretionary or voluntary weeks when student- athlete activity is not permitted. The preseason would also now consist of 21 practices over 27 calendar days, reducing the previous model's 25 practices over 31 days. If approved, the transfer portal window would shorten from 15 days to 10 days in January, opening on the first business day after Jan. 1. HOCKEY TO PLAY OUTDOOR GAME AT LAMBEAU FIELD U-M hockey will face Wisconsin in an outdoor game at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers, on Feb. 20, 2027, the school announced on Sept. 2. The game will be part of U-M's two-game Big Ten road series against the Badgers, with puck drop and broadcast information revealed at a later date. The game has been dubbed the "Frozen Tundra Faceoff" and will be the 11th outdoor game in U-M's program history. It has played more outdoor games than any other college hockey program, with its two most recent appearances coming at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 2025 and FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland in 2023. It will be the second time Michigan and Wisconsin meet outdoors – the first being the Feb. 6, 2010, showdown at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, a 3-2 victory for the Badgers. The 81,041-seat Lambeau Field opened in 1957 and last hosted a hockey game in 2006 when Wisconsin beat Ohio State 4-2 in the first Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic. Tickets went on sale Sept. 11 to the general public. U-M ATHLETICS, UPTOP ANNOUNCE 'WOLVERINE REWARDS' PROGRAM U-M launched Wolverine Rewards on Sept. 14, a new fan loyalty program built with Uptop, a Rain company, and facilitated by Learfield's Michigan Sports Properties. The program went live Sept. 16 at wolverinere- wards.com and through the Michigan Athlet- ics app, and lets fans, students and alumni create free accounts, link an existing debit or credit card and earn points automatically on qualifying purchases, including event at- tendance across U-M's sporting events. It also accrues points for in-venue spend- ing and shopping with its partners, such as Meijer, Coca-Cola and CITGO. Points can be redeemed for merchandise, tickets and other exclusive experiences, per the U-M release. Officials say the program is designed to work with minimal effort from fans, crediting points in the background rather than requiring manual sign-ups at checkout. Additional features, including an expanded spending credential and new partner offers, are expected to roll out later this season. — Anthony Broome MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK Maize Outs like this at Michigan Stadium could happen sooner in 2027 with the football season beginning a week earlier – starting Aug. 28 against Buffalo. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL