No. 18 Michigan walks into Big Ten play Saturday with momentum, an unbeaten record and a familiar edge over No.
17 Iowa. The Wolverines have won four straight against the Hawkeyes, including a 26-0 shutout in the 2023 Big Ten Championship Game, and they’ll try to keep that run going at the Big House in a ranked showdown.
Michigan has been especially reliable in league openers, going 54-4 in its last 58 Big Ten starters. This one comes after a 3-0 nonconference stretch, the program’s first unbeaten nonconference run since 2023 and its fourth in the last six seasons. Along the way, the Wolverines already knocked off two teams that won at least 10 games last year in Oklahoma and Western Michigan, and the schedule still features three more opponents that won at least 10 in 2025: Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State.
The offense has flashed enough to keep pace. Michigan’s 52-point outing against UTEP was its first game above 50 since Sept. 25 of last season, when it scored 63 against Central Michigan.
Through three games, the Wolverines have 11 offensive touchdowns - six rushing, five passing - with Bryce Underwood responsible for five of them, including two on the ground and three through the air. He has 29 carries for 159 yards this season and has averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his career when sacks are removed.
The run game has had help from elsewhere, too. Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter have each scored twice on the ground, and Hiter led Michigan in rushing for the first time last weekend against UTEP.
The passing game has had its moments as well, with JJ Buchanan posting 126 receiving yards against Western Michigan and Andrew Marsh adding 105 against UTEP. On top of that, Michigan has been sharp in key spots, going 4-for-4 on fourth down and joining 23 other teams nationally that have converted every fourth-down attempt this season.
The defense has been every bit as central to the start. Michigan has given up only three touchdowns in three games and is allowing 11 points per game, good for 16th nationally.
Against UTEP, the Wolverines piled up 11 tackles for loss, with 12 different players getting in on the action - their most in a game since 2022. That season-long pressure has translated into numbers that stand out: Michigan ranks ninth nationally with 8.3 tackles for loss per game and 18th with 3.0 sacks per game.
John Henry Daley leads the way with 2.5 sacks, while Dominic Nichols and Nate Marshall have two apiece. Troy Bowles has emerged as a steady presence at linebacker, leading Michigan in tackles in two of three games and averaging 10.5 per game, which ranks ninth nationally.
The secondary has been stingy, too, with the Wolverines allowing 139 passing yards per game and ranking 34th nationally in pass-efficiency defense. They’ve also forced three turnovers, including two interceptions.
Jonah Lea’ea turned one of those into points with a nine-yard return against UTEP - the shortest pick-six in program history - while Jyaire Hill picked off Oklahoma for his third career interception.
There’s been plenty of new blood in the mix. Ten players made their collegiate or Michigan debuts against Western Michigan, and four more did so against UTEP.
Six Wolverines have picked up their first collegiate starts this season: tight ends Jalen Hoffman and Eli Owens, linebackers Bowles and Chase Taylor, defensive end Nichols, cornerback Shamari Earls and wide receiver Salesi Moa. Michigan has also held up fairly well up front, allowing 3.5 negative plays per game, which ranks 31st nationally in tackles for loss allowed.
Special teams have done their part, too. Trey Butkowski has made field goals from 40 and 49 yards, Cameron Brown is averaging 43.5 yards per punt with a 42.3 net, and eight of his 14 punts have landed inside the 20.
Against Oklahoma, Brown pinned the Sooners inside their 20 on six of seven punts, including two downed at the 1. Jacob Baggett has added 11 touchbacks on 14 kickoffs.
Iowa brings a defense that sits No. 1 nationally in total defense into a game that pairs two of the country’s top units. Michigan is right there as well, ranking 10th nationally in total defense at 220.0 yards allowed per game and also sitting in the top 10 in passing yards allowed, tackles for loss and sacks.
The series has leaned Michigan’s way over time: the Wolverines lead 45-15-4, have won 15 of the last 22 meetings, and are 24-5-3 against Iowa at Michigan Stadium. Saturday will be the 65th meeting overall, a matchup that has also split the last 10 games even as Michigan has won 13 of the past 20.
The first two meetings came at neutral sites, with Iowa winning 28-5 in Detroit in 1900 before Michigan answered with a 50-0 win in Chicago in 1901.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got One More Reason To Beat Michigan
The buildup around Iowas Week 4 matchup with Michigan has taken on an extra layer, thanks to Pat McAfee floating the possibility that ESPNs College GameDay could finally return to Iowa City if the Hawkeyes come through. Iowa has not hosted the pregame show since a 2006 game against Ohio State, even though ESPN has made other recent trips to cover Iowa games, so the idea immediately added some outside stakes to a game that already mattered plenty on the field.
For Iowa, the incentive is obvious. A win over Michigan would not only strengthen the Hawkeyes position in the Big Ten race, it could also put one of college footballs biggest stage-setters back in town for the first time in nearly two decades. The catch is still the same one facing every team in these spots, though: the whole thing depends on what happens Saturday first. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Added Real Juice To This Western Michigan Showdown
Spencer Danielson did not waste time making his respect for Western Michigan clear as Boise State prepares for its next matchup. The Broncos coach said Western Michigan deserved to beat Michigan, pointing to the controversial final seconds of that game and the rule issue that helped swing the outcome, while the NCAA later confirmed replay protocols were not properly followed but could not overturn the result.
For Michigan fans, the bigger note is how this has turned a future opponent into a team with a clear chip on its shoulder and plenty of validation. Danielson also singled out Western Michigans defense and noted the Broncos are still unbeaten, so this one already has the feel of a game where Boise State is walking in alert to both the talent and the motivation on the other sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Dusty Mays Michigan Run Still Carries One Last Twist
Dusty Mays time in Ann Arbor ended up being a short but defining stretch for Michigan, a run that produced a 64-13 record and, most memorably, a national championship in 2026. Even after the title, his next move still fit the larger arc of a coach whose rise had been fast and decisive, as he accepted the Dallas Mavericks job after Jason Kidds departure and pointed to both transfer portal frustrations and a long-held NBA goal as part of the reason.
More than any rsum line, though, Mays Michigan story now gets one final layer through the draft. Dallas selected Morez Johnson Jr., a key piece from that championship team, and Johnson said he was excited about the chance to reconnect with his former coach. For Michigan fans, it is the kind of odd aftershock that keeps a title run from feeling fully finished, because Mays exit and Johnsons arrival now intersect in the NBA. [Read more 🡒]