Michigan football’s toughest games in 2026: Ranking top-4 gantlet

This is part three of a three-part series ranking Michigan football’s toughest games in the 2026 season, the first under new coach Kyle Whittingham. Part 1 and part 2 can be found here.

No. 4: Oklahoma (Sept. 12, noon, Fox)

The first evidence that Michigan football’s 2025 campaign might not be what fans hoped came Week 2 in Norman, Oklahoma, when the Wolverines lost 24-13 in Bryce Underwood’s first road start. While the game is at home this year, the Sooners’ trip to Ann Arbor in the second week of the year will likely be telling about which way the season is headed.

Oklahoma had the No. 17 transfer portal class in the country this past offseason, per 247Sports, bringing in 16 players from schools like Texas, Florida, Tennessee and even Michigan. Linebacker Cole Sullivan leaving for OU to take a spot in the middle of Brent Venables’ defense was perhaps the biggest portal loss the Wolverines suffered all offseason.

On offense, wide receivers Parker Livingstone (Texas) and Trell Harris (Virginia) and tight end Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) are three more weapons for an Oklahoma offense looking to take the next step.

One reason to believe it will is the return of quarterback John Mateer, who carved Michigan up last season and is the key to another solid Oklahoma team. Mateer threw for 270 yards, ran for 74 and accounted for all three touchdowns in Oklahoma’s win over Michigan before an injury sidelined him for the middle portion of the season and slowed him the rest of the way as he fought through it.

Oklahoma came in at No. 9 on The Athletic’s top-25 rankings after spring ball and is a notably difficult test, particularly so early in the season.

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No. 3: Indiana (Oct. 24, kickoff time TBD)

The only reason Indiana is not higher on this list is because Michigan gets the game in Ann Arbor.

Outside of that, this is going to be an absolute battle. The defending national champion Hoosiers lost eight starters to the NFL this past season, including No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but have once again reloaded under Curt Cignetti, who has orchestrated the greatest turnaround the sport has ever seen.

In come quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU), running back Turbo Richard (Boston College) and wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State) to restock the offensive supply and pair with wideout Charlie Becker. On defense, the Hoosiers return defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker, linebackers Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy and corner Jamari Sharpe.

Hoover is yet another proven quarterback, coming to Bloomington after four years at TCU and enters as the nation’s leader in career passing yards (9,629). Hoover ran the second most RPO’s of any quarterback last year, behind only Mendoza, so he appears to fit the scheme.

According to CBS Sports, Indiana’s roster is No. 8 in cumulative FBS snaps played (30,540) and No. 4 in FBS level starts (462), so this should be a veteran group playing for a scheme that’s proven to work. An argument could be made this is U-M’s toughest game.

No. 2: at Oregon (Nov. 14, kickoff time TBD)

Michigan makes its first trip to Autzen Stadium as Big Ten foes − the only remaining stadium in the league it has not played as league opponents is UCLA in the Rose Bowl − against an Oregon side that has, per usual, reloaded.

It started with the decision of former five-star quarterback out of Detroit King, Dante Moore, who opted to spurn the NFL where he was expected to be a top-five draft pick, to return for one more year in the NCAA ranks. He will be buoyed by Evan Stewart, one of the top wide receivers in the country, who returns after missing the 2025 season with a torn patellar tendon in his knee.

There are new faces leading both the offense and the defense after last year’s offensive coordinator, Will Stein, took the head coach job at Kentucky and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi took over as head coach of California. Dan Lanning opted to keep a semblance of continuity and promote from within for both positions, with Drew Mehringer now leading the attack and Chris Hampton in charge of the defense.

Oregon brought in 13 players through the portal this year including a pair of Big Ten defensive standouts in cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. (Ohio State) and safety Koi Perich (Minnesota).

Oregon made the CFP national semifinal last season before it was routed by Indiana (both of Oregon’s losses last season came to the Hoosiers) and now appears poised to get back to the playoffs at the very least.

This is just about as tough as games come.

No. 1: at Ohio State (Nov. 28, noon, Fox)

As if there was any doubt about who would finish off this list, it is of course the Buckeyes.

Ohio State led the way with 11 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, which included four first-rounders and three second-rounders, but the NFL factory in Columbus, simply reloads every offseason. OSU returns its starting quarterback, Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson and the undisputed top wide receiver in the country, Jeremiah Smith.

They also brought in a number of stars from the portal in running back Ja’Kobi Jackson (Florida), edge Qua Russaw (Alabama) and defensive backs Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and Dominick Kelly (Georgia), not to mention five-star freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr.

OSU landed the No. 2 freshman class in the nation and the No. 7 portal haul in the country as the Buckeyes, who were stunned by Miami in the national semifinal, look to get back to the national championship for the second time in three seasons.

Michigan has won the past two games in Columbus − a 45-23 pummeling in 2022 and then a 13-10 stunner for the ages in 2024 − but have not won three straight games at OSU since doing so from 1986-90 under Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller.

All eyes, as always, will be on this game and there’s a decent chance (like last season) U-M will be playing for a spot in the CFP with this game deciding its fate.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.