By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – When the Iowa football team’s 2026 schedule was released, one thing probably caught your attention, which is the three-game stretch to start Big Ten play.

That stretch starts on Saturday when No. 17 Iowa faces No. 18 Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Following Saturday’s game, Iowa will host Ohio State a week later before playing Washington on the following Friday (Oct. 10) in Seattle.

Those three teams currently have a combined record of 8-1 with Ohio State suffering the only loss to Texas, 24-23, on Sept. 12 in Austin, Texas, a game in which the Buckeyes blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.

This three-game stretch looked daunting heading into the season, and while that still is the case, all three teams have struggled in some ways, while Washington also has been hit hard by injuries at running back.

For Michigan, the struggles under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham have mostly been on offense where quarterback Bryce Underwood, a former five-star recruit, has been erratic, while the performance of the Michigan offensive line also has left much to be desired.

The Wolverines had a controversial 13-12 win over Western Michigan in game two in which the officials reviewed a failed Hail Mary pass attempt by Underwood and then put one second back on the clock.

Underwood then threw a 47-yard game-winning touchdown pass to tight end J.J. Buchanan as time expired.

Michigan also has fumbled six times in three games, losing four.

“We see a team that has had a couple turnovers; it is early, so that’s probably something that they’re working on as well,” said Iowa defensive tackle Bryce Hawthorne. “But it’s definitely something we might mark on the board to really emphasize.”

Michigan’s defense, on the other hand, has been rock solid under Whittingham, who previously was the head coach for Utah from 2005 to 2025, compiling a 177-88 overall record.

Jay Hill is in his first season as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. He previously was the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for BYU, so he and Whittingham already were familiar with each other.

Whittingham was hired by Michigan in late December, and about two weeks after previous head coach Sherrone Moore had been fired on Dec. 10 after evidence emerged he had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

“Have a long-time respect for Coach Whittingham,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “Finally got to meet him last May, but I’ve admired their work going back probably 15-plus years. At Utah, a really good program. Some really impressive football over the years. You can see those fingerprints certainly being put on Michigan’s program right now.”

Ferentz’s experience with coaching against Michigan dates back to his days as the Iowa offensive line coach under Hayden Fry from 1981 to 1989.

As the Iowa head coach, Ferentz has two victories over Michigan in Ann Arbor, winning 34-9 in 2002 and 38-28 in 2020.

Iowa is 7-26-3 all-time in games played in the Big House.

“One commonality is that they’re always a good football team,” Kirk Ferentz said of Michigan. “Really talented, very well-coached, and no difference here. Very talented players. A mix of guys that have been there, guys they’ve recruited, and then also a mix that came in with the new staff. Those guys have really supplemented the team, given them octane.

“A very impressive team. Good in all three phases. Do a good job. Offensively, defensively play really hard. On special teams, they have good specialists, and their guys do a really good job.”

There is no question that Michigan’s roster is loaded with talent as few schools recruit as well as Michigan does.

But there are concerns about this team as shown with its performance against Western Michigan.

The Broncos did everything but win the game, especially in the trenches where they sort of bullied Michigan’s offensive line.

Michigan has outstanding running backs, but even the greats ones need some room to run.

It’s reasonable to believe that Saturday’s game could come down to turnovers and whichever team has more rushing yards.

Hank Brown has been steady in three starts for Iowa at quarterback. He also has protected the football with no turnovers.

But he also hasn’t been under much pressure, with exception to the 16-13 win over Iowa State, though that was also a home game as were the lopsided wins over Northern Illinois (40-0) and Northern Iowa (55-0).

This will be Brown’s first start on the road for Iowa and it comes against the winningest program in the history of college football.

Brown first had to win his competition against Jeremy Hecklinski for the starting job at quarterback before he could start helping Iowa try to win Big Ten games.

He and Hecklinski were listed as co-starters for the first three games, but Brown played the entire game against Iowa State and is now listed as the starter by himself.

Brown was asked this past Tuesday if he could sort of exhale now that he has won the starting quarterback job.

“I think as a quarterback, the goal is always to be on the field playing,” Brown said. “But also as a quarterback I don’t think there’s ever an exhale. There’s always different things that are being thrown at you.”

Both teams have performed well on special teams so far, including Iowa kicker Caden Buhr, who has made 5-of-6 field-goal attempts, including the game winner against Iowa State from 42 yards.

Both punters also have performed well as Iowa first-year punter Boston Everitt is averaging 44.1 yards per attempt, while Michigan punter Cam Brown is averaging 43.5 yards.

Field position and field goals both could go a long way in determining Saturday’s winner, and both teams look solid in those areas.

Kirk Ferentz seemed optimistic on Tuesday that Iowa will be at close to full strength for Saturday’s Big Ten opener.

Running back Kamari Moulton and tight end DJ Vonnahme both missed the Northern Iowa game due to injuries, but Ferentz said they both were working themselves back.

Backup running back LJ Phillips also could be available for the Michigan game after having missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, which he suffered in the season opener against Northern Illinois.

Iowa has four different running backs that already have rushed for at least 100 yards in a game this season.

However against Iowa State, Iowa was held to just 93 rushing yards.

So it’s still hard to know for sure just how reliable Iowa’s running game will be this season, or how Hank Brown will respond if the running game sputters on the road.

And while Underwood has been inconsistent as a passer, he is always a threat to run or to improvise when the play breaks down.

This game won’t make or break either team’s season, but a loss would be a critical blow to that team’s playoff hopes.

“Bottom line is it’s just going to be a really tough challenge at all levels,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Good players, well-coached, play hard, and we’ll have our work cut out. So big challenge. Looking forward to getting ready for that.”

It’s very tempting to pick Iowa to win this game, but home-field advantage often plays a role when teams appear to be so evenly matched as in this case.

Iowa also struggled to defeat Iowa State at home, and right now the Cyclones are tough to read under a new head coach.

But then Michigan needed a fluke call to beat Western Michigan, and that’s part of why this prediction was made with some reluctance.

Prediction: Michigan 23, Iowa 21

No. 17 Iowa (3-0) vs. no. 18 Michigan (3-0)

When: Saturday, 2:38 p.m.

Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan, Michigan Stadium (107,621)

TV: CBS

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series history: Saturday’s meeting is the 65th meeting all-time between Iowa and Michigan with the Wolverines leading the series, 45-15-4. The series began with a 28-5 Iowa win in 1900. The first meeting between the two teams was played in Detroit and the second in Chicago.

Iowa is 7-26-3 all-time in games played at the Big House. The Hawkeyes’ last victory came in Ann Arbor came in 2010 — a 38-28 win. Saturday’s game is Iowa’s first trip to Michigan since 2019, which ended with a 10-3 Wolverine victory.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has two victories in Ann Arbor, winning 34-9 in 2002 and 38-28 in 2010.

The Wolverines have won the last four meetings in the series, two of which came in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis in 2021 and 2023.