Don't blink. The Michigan football season is just six days away.
The long offseason is nearly over. Week 0 gave us a taste of college football. In six more days, we get the real thing, including the Wolverines' debut with Kyle Whittingham as the head coach.
Michigan football's season opener is against Western Michigan next Saturday night. The Broncs could be a more difficult opponent than people realize. As a whole, the schedule is a bear. Michigan will play four playoff teams from a season ago, and six total ranked in the preseason top 25.
It feels like anything from 10-2 to 8-4 is possible. There are so many unknowns about this Michigan football team, but looking into our magic crystal ball, here are six bold predictions for Kyle Whittingham's first season in Ann Arbor.
Bryce Underwood has a breakout season
What the final numbers look like will depend how much Whittingham allows the Wolverines to throw the ball. Underwood averaged 216 total yards per game last season.
In 2026, that number should be well over 250. It feels very possible that Underwood will average more than 200 passing yards per game. It also doesn't seem far-fetched that he will average close to 50 yards rushing per game.
Underwood threw for 186 passing yards and rushed for 30. He really was more productive than fans give him credit for. Not only does Bryce seem more polished as a passer, but the game will also slow down for him this season. He will also be used more as a runner.
Underwood was just a couple hundred yards away from 3,000 total yards as a freshman. This season, he will be much closer to 3,500 total yards (3,000 passing, 500 rushing).
The five-star sophomore will account for around 25 total touchdowns, and all the talk of him being a bust or not living up to the hype will turn into an afterthought.
Jordan Marshall will be First-Team All-Big Ten
Michigan's running game is going to be elite. The Wolverines should lead the Big Ten in rushing yards with Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter, Bryce Underwood, and a stellar offensive line.
Marshall averaged 6.6 yards per carry in Big Ten play last season. He had four 100-yard games and rushed for 61 yards on seven attempts against Ohio State before he had to leave with injury.
Everyone has talked all offseason about Underwood and Savion Hiter. There has been a ton of buzz about the receivers, but the best player on the Michigan football offense will be Jordan Marshall. He will rush for 1,200 yards and will be First-Team All-Big Ten.
Michigan will lead the Big Ten in interceptions
The Wolverines intercepted 25 passes over the past two seasons. Jay Hill's BYU defense intercepted 39.
Hill is much more like Jesse Minter as a defensive coordiantor. He's a wizard with the secondary, and with all the pieces he has to work with: Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, Smith Snowden, Rod Moore, Chris Bracy, Jordan Young, Shamari Earls, and others, the Wolverines might have the best secondary in the Big Ten.
Hill could easily be playing in the NFL. He's projected to be an early-round pick in the NFL draft. Berry should be right there, and if Rod Moore is 100 percent, that will be a game-changer. If Moore can be on the field for 75 percent of the snaps and be the old Rod Moore, watch out.
Michigan's top three corners have 49 career pass breakups and nine career interceptions. The interceptions will increase this season in a big way under Hill's direction.
Savion Hiter has 1,000 total yards
The only thing that makes me a little bearish on Jordan Marshall is the five-star running back. It's easy to overreact to high school tape, but his rerminds me of Saquon Barkley. Hiter runs with a blend of speed and power that you just don't see often.
The No. 1 running back in the 2026 class also found the perfect landing spot. Whittingham's Utah team ran the ball more than it threw it last season. Don't be shocked if that happens again.
Underwood will throw the ball more, but when you have two elite backs, and an elite offensive line, it's hard to resist the temptation to pound the rock.
Hiter can do dynamic things as a receiver, too, and it sounds like there are plans to get him involved that way, so as a runner and receiver, he will eclipse 1,000 total yards as a freshman.
The Wolverines will win at least 10 games
Michigan has a difficult schedule. There are four playoff teams with two at home and two on the road. The first is the Oklahoma game. It will be a huge test for the Wolverines, one they are going to pass.
Michigan's defense is going to carry the day early in the season. People are focused on quarterback. It's easy to see why, but the Wolverines will be much, much better in the trenches.
That's where football games are won. Ohio State was better on the offensive and defensive lines last season. They were better during the Meyer era, too. Take that with the wide receiver talent, and it's nearly impossible for Michigan to win that game.
The offensive line took a step back with Sherrone Moore as the head coach. The defensive line did, too, espeically with all the weird rotating that went on.
Whitingham has said the defensive line is the strength of the team. If that's true, and the O-line has improved as much as we believe it has under Jim Harding, Michigan will find a way to win at least 10 games, with the bowl game facorted in.
A 9-3 regular season seems realistic. However, if the Wolverines can go out-play someone like Oklahoma in the trenches, it will bode well for Big Ten play.
Whittingham wins one rivalry game, barely loses another
Beating Michigan State doesn't quality as a bold prediction. However, the Wolverines will beat the Spartans in Whittingham's first season. They will also lose to Ohio State in a tight game.
Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines might not win in Columbus this season, but Underwood will shine in something like a 27-24 loss.
It would be great if Michigan had already reached double-digit wins going into "The Game," which is more possible than people realize. The Wolverines just have to take care of business at home, which is easier said than done with Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma, and Indiana coming to the Big House.
Ohio State will win, but "The Game" will have a much different feel. Last year, it felt like there was a canyon between the two programs with Sherrone Moore at the helm. It won't feel that way anymore.
The pressure will be on Underwood and Whittingham going into 2027, just like it was on Ryan Day and the Buckeyes going into 2022, 2023, and 2024. The more you lose in the rivalry, the more the pressure builds.
Michigan will look like it belongs among college football's best this season. That wasn't the case in 2025.
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