CBS Sports predicts Michigan football’s 2026 win total

There are a lot of questions surrounding Michigan football entering 2026. The Wolverines should improve under new head coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff, especially as they’re one of the teams with the most returning experience in the country, let alone the conference.

However, the schedule is brutal, and not everyone expects the maize and blue to get a signature win among the exceedingly difficult list of opponents.

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Among those who don’t think that Whittingham’s first year will be solid are CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel, who predicted wins and losses for each team in the Big Ten. In Nagel’s estimation, the Wolverines won’t lose to every team with a pulse, but if it goes the way he predicts, it won’t feel like a successful season for the maize and blue.

Michigan

Over/under 8.5 wins

Wins: Western Michigan, UTEP, Iowa, at Minnesota, Penn State, at Rutgers, Michigan State, UCLALosses: Oklahoma, Indiana, at Oregon, at Ohio State

Analysis: Michigan appears to have made one of the best coaching hires of the cycle with Kyle Whittingham taking over. But can he bring that same sustained success to Ann Arbor after more than two decades at Utah? Unlike last year, the Wolverines draw Indiana, Oregon and Penn State, plus Ohio State and another non-conference battle against Oklahoma. That’s a brutal path to try to reach nine wins. Pick: Under 8.5 (-130)

Looking at the Big Ten schedule for Michigan, he’s how he predicts each team’s record to be once said and done:

With that, Nagel predicts just two wins against teams with winning records. However, looking at the returning production for each team, we think Iowa and Penn State may be worse than anticipated, while Minnesota and UCLA will be better than anticipated. Also, Indiana lost a lot, so a lot is riding on Curt Cignetti striking gold for a third straight year.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football 2026 win total prediction