Why CBS Sports is Predicting Michigan Football to Take a Huge Leap in 2026

The 2025 Michigan football season ended in turmoil with the firing of former head coach Sherrone Moore and the fallout from the situation thereafter.

However, the Wolverines are now in a new era with the offseason hiring of new coach Kyle Whittingham as the program looks forward to 2026 and beyond under a new staff.

While Michigan did win nine games under Moore last season, the Wolverines didn't win a game of significance and lost to all of the best teams on their schedule.

But CBS Sports writer Cody Nagel wrote in a recent article that he expects that won't be the case for the Maize and Blue in 2026 while predicting Michigan as a program that is poised to take a huge leap in 2026.

Why Nagel thinks the Wolverines will take a jump

"It's been an -- um, let's see -- eventful offseason in Ann Arbor. Bringing in Kyle Whittingham -- third on the active FBS wins list -- immediately raised both the floor and the ceiling for Michigan, Nagel wrote. "Quarterback Bryce Underwood should benefit from the arrival of new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, whose system could help the Wolverines get back to a more consistent rhythm. The program is three years removed from its national championship in 2023, but the past two seasons under Sherrone Moore were a clear step backward. With new leadership, Michigan has the pieces to climb back into the CFP conversation again."

Nagel's analysis points out Michigan not being too far removed from a national title, as Jim Harbaugh took the program to get greatest heights it had been to since the mid to late 1990s.

With Whittingham's experience and winning track record with two decades as the head coach at Utah, there's no reason to think the Wolverines couldn't get back to the top of college football. At the very least, Michigan should be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff year in and year out with the expansion to 12 teams.

In 2026, the biggest hurdle might be the difficulty of the schedule.

On the list of anticipated difficult games for the Wolverines is Oklahoma, who Michigan welcomes to Ann Arbor on Sept. 12 in the second game of home-and-home with the Sooners; Penn State on Oct. 17; Indiana on Oct. 24; At Oregon on Nov. 14; and at Ohio State on Nov. 28.

That list doesn't even include the Wolverines' trip to Iowa on Sept. 26, which is always a hard place to win, and Michigan State on Nov. 7 as the Spartans usually play the Wolverines tough in the rivalry matchup.