Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines

Saturday night at a sold-out Michigan Stadium brings the opening of the Kyle Whittingham era and a visit from the defending MAC champion. Both teams begin their 2026 season here. Western Michigan’s returning running game carries my decision. The Broncos retain players responsible for 85.4% of their offensive touchdowns from 2025, including Broc Lowry and Jalen Buckley. Lowry rushed for 963 yards; Buckley added 1,003. Their documented option combination makes Michigan account for both runners while implementing a new defense. I expect that continuity to produce enough sustained scoring drives to interrupt Michigan’s attempts to build separation. That is the football case for taking these points. Michigan’s passing inconsistency provides another possible interruption. Bryce Underwood threw seven interceptions over his final five games of 2025, and Western returns secondary experience in Jarvarius Sims, Micah Davis and Joshua Franklin. Jason Beck’s new offense could improve Underwood’s decisions, so those interceptions are a vulnerability to evaluate rather than a turnover forecast. My bet rests primarily on Western contributing offensively, with its secondary offering another way to stall Michigan possessions. Michigan has a substantial covering case. It brings four returning offensive-line starters and Jordan Marshall’s 932 rushing yards from 2025 against a defense returning only 20% of its defensive-line snaps and 12% of its linebacker snaps. If Michigan repeatedly wins that confrontation, it can sustain scoring drives while reducing the difficult passing situations that exposed Underwood. Western’s previous defensive success cannot simply be assigned to those replacements. I give Western’s established offensive combination enough weight to take +27.5 despite that defensive rebuilding. The assumption is that its rushing production translates against Michigan; continuity alone does not guarantee it. The unresolved personnel question that could change my choice is how effectively Western’s replacement front has come together. If that group cannot contest Michigan’s running game, the Wolverines have a credible route to maintaining separation throughout all four quarters.