Updated Michigan football schedule 2020: Game-by-game predictions

Michigan football gets one of the toughest draws in the Big Ten in 2020.

The Big Ten will be playing ball in a few weeks, but Michigan football’s new schedule is not easy.

As part of the nine-game season schedule, the Michigan Wolverines will face their six Big Ten East rivals, two teams out of the Big Ten West and a third team out of the opposite division for a competitive balance game in Week 9. Michigan unfortunately has to play the two best teams out of the Big Ten West this year in the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers.

Here is the updated 2020 college football season schedule for Michigan.

Updated 2020 Michigan football season schedule

• Week 1 (Oct. 24): at Minnesota Golden Gophers (Minneapolis, MN)
• Week 2 (Oct. 31): vs. Michigan State Spartans (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Week 3 (Nov. 7): at Indiana Hoosiers (Bloomington, IN)
• Week 4 (Nov. 14): vs. Wisconsin Badgers (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Week 5 (Nov. 21): at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Piscataway, NJ)
• Week 6 (Nov. 28): vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Week 7 (Dec. 5): vs. Maryland Terrapins (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Week 8 (Dec. 12): at Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, OH)

Bold indicates a Michigan football victory

With the way it shakes out, Michigan will have a solid regular season, but one that is unfortunately bookended by a pair of road losses to fellow playoff-contending teams. The Week 1 road defeat to Minnesota will be a tone-setter for both teams’ seasons. While Michigan beats Wisconsin and the Penn State Nittany Lions at home, the losing will continue vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes.

This is why winning in Minneapolis is so darn important. If the Wolverines can do that, they may have enough momentum to go into The Horseshoe and upset the Big Ten favorite Buckeyes in mid-December. However, having to play arguably the four best teams in the conference in an eight-game slate is typically way too brutal for even a quality Michigan team to possibly navigate.

Projected Week 9 competitive balance game matchup

• 2: Michigan Wolverines (6-2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-1) (Minneapolis, MN)

Again, this will be another brutal game on the Wolverines’ schedule. They’ll have to go back to Minneapolis to take on the same Golden Gophers team who beat them there back in Week 1. It’ll be so ridiculously cold, but the home team will have an advantage, as the Golden Gophers are still playing for a New Year’s Six bowl big at 7-1. Michigan may be good, but Minnesota will be better.

There is no high quality team in the Big Ten with as brutal of a gauntlet as what Michigan faces.

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