Michigan’s Big Ten opener against Iowa now has a time and a TV home.
The No. 19 Wolverines and No.
19 Hawkeyes will meet in Ann Arbor on Sept. 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET, with CBS carrying the game.
It marks the second straight week Michigan is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, and it will also be the fourth different network the Wolverines have appeared on in as many games, after NBC in Week 1, FOX in Week 2 and the Big Ten Network in Week 3.
The matchup arrives with both teams unbeaten and looking to start conference play with a loud win. Michigan will be at home against UTEP this week, while Iowa hosts Northern Iowa, an FCS opponent. When the teams do finally meet, it will be their first matchup since the 2023 Big Ten Championship game, which Michigan won 26-0.
There’s plenty of defense packed into this one, too. Through two weeks, both teams sit inside the top 20 nationally in scoring defense. In Pro Football Focus’s rankings, Iowa is sixth and Michigan is eighth among the highest-graded defenses.
Iowa has opened the season with a 40-0 win over Northern Illinois and a 15-13 escape against rival Iowa State. Michigan is also 2-0, though its path has been much bumpier.
The Wolverines survived Western Michigan on a Hail Mary touchdown after a second was added back to the clock, then followed that up with a 17-10 upset of then-No. 11 Oklahoma.
Michigan owns a 45-15-4 edge in the all-time series and has won four straight against Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ last victory over the Wolverines came on Nov. 12, 2016, and their most recent win in Ann Arbor came in 2010.
Iowa is coming off a 9-4 season in which it led Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon and USC in the fourth quarter of all four losses, then finished with a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Vanderbilt. Kirk Ferentz is back for his 28th consecutive season at Iowa, and that means this game will feature the two longest-tenured head coaches in the FBS.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Made An Early Move That Should Excite Basketball Fans
While the football team was entertaining Oklahoma, Michigan basketball used the same weekend to work its own recruiting circuit, bringing in several top prospects for campus visits. Among the headliners were 2028 five-star forwards Dylan Betts and Brady Pettigrew, a sign that the staff is already thinking far ahead as it tries to build relationships with the next wave of elite talent.
The visits also included time with head coach Mike Boynton and former players, giving the recruits a fuller look at what Michigan can offer beyond the practice gym. Pettigrew has sparked some buzz because of the possibility that he could move up a class, but that remains unconfirmed for now, leaving the bigger question open: how much traction did Michigan gain with two of the most coveted names on its early board? [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Gained Real Recruiting Momentum After Beating Oklahoma
Michigans win over Oklahoma did more than improve the mood around the program. It also gave the staff a chance to put several high-profile visitors in the middle of the atmosphere, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and four-star prospects Nasir Richardson, Mekhi McNair, Asa Burch and Armani Strong among the recruits on hand. The setting mattered, and the reactions afterward suggested the day landed the way Michigan hoped it would.
The buzz extended beyond the field, too, with recruits and their families speaking positively about both the game-day environment and the broader feel around the program. Guerrant, who is currently committed to Oregon, is among the visitors now taking a harder look after the trip, which is the kind of momentum Michigan has been trying to build on the trail. The game provided a backdrop, but the real question is how far that visit can move things in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Shouldn't Overlook The UTEP Threats That Could Test This Opener
Michigan opens the season as a heavy favorite, but the spread alone will not make UTEP disappear. The Miners bring a few players who give this matchup some real shape, starting with quarterback EJ Colson Jr., who gives their offense a dual-threat element, and Kam Thomas, a versatile piece who can move around and create problems in different spots. Add running back Tavorus Jones to the mix and UTEP at least has enough skill talent to make the Wolverines stay alert early.
Defensively, the Miners also have a few names that could make the first game of the year feel less like a tune-up than Michigan would prefer. Linebacker Jayden Wilson has been one of the more active pieces on that side, while cornerback Justin Content brings the kind of coverage ability that can challenge timing throws. Michigan should still expect to control the game, but if UTEP is going to make it interesting at all, it will probably come through a handful of those individual matchups rather than a broad team upset push. [Read more 🡒]