Michigan’s October 17 matchup with Penn State is headed for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff in Ann Arbor, and given the way both teams have played, that feels about right.
The game will come after Michigan’s bye week, with the Wolverines sitting at 3-2 and trying to stop a two-game losing streak. Penn State enters in a similar spot. Both teams opened 3-0, then dropped their first two conference games, leaving each program searching for answers before they meet in two weeks.
The TV network still hasn’t been locked in, with that designation being held for six-day selection. Michigan announced the kickoff time on October 5, 2026.
Our home game on October 17 against Penn St will kick off at 3:30 p.m. with the TV network designation being held for six-day selection. pic.twitter.com/umEKHKt7z8
- Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) October 5, 2026
There’s no shortage of similarities between the two teams this season. Both brought in new head coaches who spent plenty of time and found plenty of success in the Big 12. Now, Kyle Whittingham and Matt Campbell are set to meet for the first time in the Big Ten, and both teams badly need a win.
Michigan’s slide started in conference play with losses to No. 20 Iowa and Minnesota.
The Iowa game was there until the final second, but the Minnesota loss was a rough one. Penn State’s defeats may look even uglier on paper, falling to Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin team and Northwestern.
The Wildcats and Badgers have shown more life this season, but Penn State looked lost in both losses, including the night of Northwestern’s stadium opening.
So while a prime-time showcase was never really in the cards, the 3:30 p.m. slot doesn’t come as a shock. Michigan has had just one prime-time game so far this year, the miracle win over Western Michigan, and unless the Wolverines turn things around quickly, more night games may not be coming.
For now, Whittingham gets the bye week to sort through the issues before facing Penn State, while the Nittany Lions will have No. 19 USC on deck.
In Other News...
Michigan Offense Is Taking Heat From One Of Their Own
After Michigans loss to Minnesota, one of the programs own took aim at what he saw from the offense. Jake Butt, the former Wolverines tight end who now works as a Big Ten analyst, described the performance as poor and said the unit lacked effort, a blunt assessment that landed hard for a team already searching for answers.
The criticism comes with Michigan still sitting near the bottom of the national rankings in total offense and rushing yards through five games, a jarring place for a program built on physical play and run-game identity. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham also weighed in, saying Michigan has to make tough decisions and real adjustments to get moving, including the possibility of a quarterback change, as the pressure to fix the offense keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Just Shown The Only Way To Stop The Slide
The red zone trip that led to Jordan Marshalls touchdown was one of the few clean moments Michigan had in a 20-14 loss to Minnesota, and it stood out because it looked like the kind of sequence the offense has been searching for all season. After a series of successful plays, the Wolverines finished the possession with the kind of execution that has too often been missing when drives get tight and the field shrinks.
For a team still trying to stop the slide, that single trip offered a small but useful reminder of what works. Michigan did not get many chances near the goal line, but when it finally did, the drive suggested there is at least a blueprint there, even if the larger picture around it remains discouraging. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offense Has Become A Bigger Problem Than Fans Feared
Michigans latest setback in Minneapolis was about more than just another loss. The 20-14 defeat to Minnesota dropped the Wolverines to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, and it came with the kind of offensive frustration that can linger long after the final whistle. The ground game never really got going, the quarterback play was uneven, and the tight end production never gave the offense the dependable middle of the field presence it needed.
Pro Football Focus grades backed up what the eye test suggested, with wide receiver JJ Buchanan, center Jake Guarnera and right tackle Blake Frazier emerging as the top offensive performers. Beyond them, though, the chart was thin, and Zack Marshalls low grade at tight end reflected how few answers Michigan had in the passing game and around the line of scrimmage. For a team already staring at an 0-2 Big Ten start, the bigger concern now is whether theres a fix here or just a longer search for one. [Read more 🡒]