The day after Michigan football lost to Michigan State, the feeling of hopelessness is still overwhelming.
This is 2014 all over again. Kyle Whittingham has been a complete failure as the head coach. Losing 15-6 to Michigan State was a new low. Inexcusable is the only word that does it justice.
Give Pat Fitzgerald credit. Michigan State was ready to play, even though it had what felt like a 1/3 of the roster on the injury report. The Spartans wanted the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and they left Ann Arbor with it after what some have called the worst loss in Michigan football history.
That was the single worst Michigan football game I've ever seen.
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) November 8, 2026
Period.
That's what noted Michigan historian John U. Bacon said. With all of the context, it's hard to argue. Looking back at the nine-point loss to MSU, here's what we learned.
Kyle Whittingham needs to be fired
It was clear from the first game of the season that Kyle Whittingham wasn't going to cut it at Michigan. That was the worst performance I had seen since the pre-Harbaugh era.
Yet, it was just the beginning. Michigan football managed under 200 total yards in losses against Minnesota and Michigan State. Think about that for a second.
The offense is ranked 126th in scoring. The Wolverines are running for just 128 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry. Michigan's defense has played well. It didn't allow a touchdown in either of the last two home games, but still lost each.
Michigan has games against UCLA, Oregon, and Ohio State. Frankly, it's hard to see Michigan winning any of those games. A 5-7 season is one thing. But the head coach acting like he doesn't care, talking about future players already, and refusing to hold his coaches accountable should make the decision an easy one.
We don't know if it's going to make it. That's a fair question. Whittingham can't come back, though. He has already done enough damage to Michigan football in nine games.
There is no logical argument that supports it. Even the buyout money.
Whittingham doesn't understand the Michigan football job
The long-time Utah coach felt like a great fit because of the way his team played. He didn't hire any coaches with extensive Big Ten experience, except for the special teams coach he inherited; Whittingham thought what worked in the Big 12 would work in the Big Ten.
Beyond that, Whittingham hasn't embraced what it means to be the Michigan football head coach. He has downplayed every rivalry game, and when asked what will motivate the team after the Michigan State game, he said none of the games left were for a trophy, as though the final game of the season against Ohio State doesn't matter.
There might not be a trophy at stake, but it's the most important game on the schedule.
Kyle Whittingham on keeping Michigan motivated for its last 3 games:
— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) November 8, 2026
"It's my job as a coach to rally them back up and get them ready to compete for these last three games. ... I don't know, are there any more trophies in these last three games? I don't think there's any more… pic.twitter.com/9xkxiLp6Ih
If that shows Whittingham doesn't get it, nothing else will.
The defense is the only thing that works
We have known this for weeks. The offense is broken. It has been shut out at home in the first half in three consecutive games.
Michigan has missed numerous short field goals in the past few weeks. There were some costly misses against Indiana, and the miss on Saturday night took the air out of the stadium.
The offense turned the ball over four times, could barely muster a first down, and still, the defense only gave up 15 points. It hasn't given up a regulation touchown at home since the Penn State game, yet still lost by two scores against Sparty.
Everything has gone wrong but Jay Hill and the defense.
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