Way Too Early Michigan Football Opponent Preview: Week1 vs. Western Michigan

In Kyle Whittingham's first game as the head coach at Michigan, he will take on the Western Michigan Broncos at home in week one. Western Michigan did end up winning the MAC last season, but in this game they'll take on a hungry Michigan team that is projected to be one of the better teams in the Big Ten this season.

The gap between the better Big Ten teams and the better MAC teams is still fairly drastic, so this should be an easy win for Michigan in week one. Let's take a little deeper dive into how the Broncos stack up against Michigan below.

2025 Recap

Western Michigan Broncos quarterback Broc Lowry (14) throws a pass — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

They actually had quite a remarkable turnaround because they started the season 0-3 with losses to Michigan State, North Texas, and Illinois. From there they went on a hot streak and won 10 out of their next 11 games to finish 10-4. That includes a MAC championship where they beat Miami (OH) by a score of 23-13.

As a team, they were 88th in the nation in scoring offense, and 103rd in total offense. Their defense however was their calling card, as they finished 9th nationally in scoring defense, and 17th in total defense. Unfortunately for them, their defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary left for a role on the LA Chargers this off-season.

Moves made for 2026

To replace O'Leary, they promoted their LB coach Greer Martini to Co-DC, along with Duane Vaughn who joined the staff after being the defensive coordinator at Furman previously. Those two will hope to keep Western Michigan's defense as a top unit in the MAC this season.

Michigan State's Jordan Hall, below, tackles Western Michigan's Jalen Buckley — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Arguably the biggest moves the Broncos made for 2026 was to bring back their top offensive players from 2025 in starting quarterback Broc Lowry who ended up throwing for 1,803 yards with 9 TD's through the air and also rushing for another 963 and 14 TD's. He's a true dual threat quarterback and will look to improve upon those numbers in 2026.

Also returning is star running back Jalen Buckley who just broke the 1000 yard mark with 1,003 yards and 9 TD's. With those two players back, they should have one of the better offenses in the MAC yet again this season.

Why Michigan should handle the Broncos

Despite being one of the favorites to win the MAC again this year, the Wolverines should still have a major edge on both sides of the line of scrimmage against the Western Michigan Broncos. Michigan will enter the season ranked as a top 25 team in the country and with a whole new coaching staff, they're hoping they can get more out of this roster than the former coaching staff was able to.

This first game between Michigan and Western Michigan shouldn't be all that close. Fanduel currently has it at a -26.5 point spread in favor of Michigan and I would tend to agree with that line. Something in the neighborhood of a 31-7 win should be about what Wolverines fans should expect in their first game of the Kyle Whittingham era at Michigan.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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