UCLA is in its third season in the Big Ten following a sophomore campaign in which the program captured three NCAA championships – the most of any Big Ten school. The conference as a whole saw 11 national titles to its name in the most recent competitive cycle. Daily Bruin Sports will preview the football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and other top programs of each Big Ten rival.

Football
2025 record: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten
Coach: Kyle Whittingham
Player to watch: JJ Buchanan

Michigan football entered the 2026 season at a crossroads.

After the firing of former coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10, the squad stumbled to a 41-27 loss in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to Texas on Dec. 31. It was an especially difficult game for quarterback Bryce Underwood, who threw three interceptions with a 54.8% completion percentage.

The squad hired Kyle Whittingham to be its next head honcho Dec. 26, but the coach spent the Citrus Bowl observing his squad from the stands. It appeared as though he had his work cut out for him to turn around the program and its culture.

Whittingham’s hiring was touted as a home run by many – after all, the coach amassed a 177-88 record in his 21-year career as Utah’s head coach and secured consecutive Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022.

The Wolverines’ ceiling in 2026 continues to center around Underwood. The Detroit local came to Ann Arbor as the nation’s No. 1 high school football recruit in 2025, per ESPN.

His blend of skill, stature and athleticism at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds evoked early comparison to physical NFL quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Vince Young.

But Underwood’s freshman season tempered expectations in the eyes of many. The quarterback posted 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions with a 60.3% completion percentage. However, he also added 392 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, flashing promise to be a true dual-threat quarterback.

And in 2026, Underwood appears to have found his number one receiver.

JJ Buchanan posted 427 yards in 13 games as a tight end for Utah in 2025 before entering the transfer portal, where he was ranked the No. 47 transfer per ESPN. The Henderson, Nevada, local followed Whittingham to the Wolverines last offseason and shifted to wide receiver.

Buchanan has since seen his pass-catching numbers skyrocket. The receiver tripled his yards per game from 32.8 in his freshman year to 99.0 in the first four games of his sophomore campaign. His 396 yards and four touchdowns this season are rapidly approaching his full-season output from 2025.

Underwood sought out that connection in one of the biggest moments of the Wolverines’ young season. Against Western Michigan on Sept. 5, Underwood launched a 47-yard missile to find Buchanan in the end zone as the clock expired, securing a one-point victory.

But 2026 has not been all green for the Blue. They have experienced their fair share of blues.

While it secured that 13-12 victory over WMU to open its season, Michigan needed a last-second Hail Mary to win that game against a team they were expected to beat handily. And despite amassing a three-game win streak to open the season, Michigan fell 20-19 to then-No. 17 Iowa on a buzzer-beater touchdown Sept. 26 before losing 20-14 to Minnesota on Oct. 3.

Beyond the record, Michigan simply has not displayed the explosiveness expected from an Underwood-led offense. Underwood is averaging a mere 176.2 passing yards per game with a 59.3% completion percentage, and the offense has scored less than 20 points in four of its five games in 2026.

The Wolverines have seemed like a car with a sputtering engine for much of this season.

It remains to be seen whether Whittingham can add a spark plug to ignite his squad before they face coach Bob Chesney’s Bruins on Nov. 21 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Men’s basketball

2025-26 record: 37-3, 19-1 Big Ten, NCAA national championship win

Coach: Mike Boynton Jr.

Player to watch: Elliot Cadeau

Michigan men’s basketball scaled the summit last season.

After losing its last four national title games – in 2018, 2013, 1993 and 1992 – the Wolverines won the 2026 NCAA national championship, their first title since 1989.

The squad proved to be versatile, physically imposing and technically sound. They were led by forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who posted 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on 51.5% shooting from the field, 37.2% from the three and 82.4% from the charity stripe. Beyond the numbers, Lendeborg used his 6-foot-9, 230-pound frame to manipulate the game to Michigan’s will, securing Big Ten Player of the Year honors.

Alongside Lendeborg was former UCLA center Aday Mara, who used his 7-foot-3 frame to shut defenders out of the paint. He posted 2.6 blocks per game, good for sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten.

Michigan’s frontline was also headed by forward Morez Johnson Jr., who dominated the interior. Johnson harnessed his 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame to shoot 62.3% from the field and post 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 2025-26.

In addition to the formidable frontcourt, then-coach Dusty May’s squad boasted skill players in guards Elliot Cadeau, Nimari Burnett and Trey McKenney.

But much has changed in Ann Arbor since the end of March Madness.

May departed to take the reins of the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson Jr., Lendeborg and Mara were each drafted in the NBA Draft lottery, and Burnett signed as an undrafted free agent with the Toronto Raptors.

Michigan enters the 2026-27 season with a new head coach in Mike Boynton Jr. and four new starters.

But despite the multitude of changes, the Wolverines still boast continuity.

Their lone returning starter – Cadeau – proved himself to be the chief facilitator and playmaker for the Wolverines last season. Cadeau was fourth on the squad in points at 10.5 points per game and led the team with 5.9 assists per game. The floor general’s scoring numbers have risen in each of his three seasons, and that trend is likely to continue in 2026-27.

McKenney joins Cadeau in the backcourt to form a potent 1-2 punch. The sophomore guard averaged 9.9 points per game on an efficient 46.2% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 89.5% from the line. McKenney’s physicality – carrying a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame – allows him to play with a more imposing game than most guards.

And guard Roddy Gayle Jr., who averaged 7.3 points per game in 21.1 minutes of action, recently obtained an injunction that allows him to return for his fifth season of college basketball.

The Wolverines also added former Columbia guard Kenny Noland to the mix. Noland averaged 17.1 points per game last season, bringing another scoring spark to Boynton’s squad.

It appears that Michigan will almost certainly undergo a renovation in play style. The group is headlined almost exclusively by guard play, making for a faster and more explosive offense.

Boynton’s squad will face off against coach Mick Cronin’s Bruins on Jan. 26 at Pauley Pavilion.

Women’s basketball

2025-26 record: 28-7, 15-3 Big Ten, NCAA tournament Elite Eight appearance

Coach: Kim Barnes Arico

Player to watch: Olivia Olson

Michigan women’s basketball did not scale the summit last season. It did not win a national title. Nevertheless, coach Kim Barnes Arico’s squad reached historic heights in 2025-26.

The Wolverines reached the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history and tied the program record for wins at 28. They finished second in Big Ten play – trailing only UCLA – and set program single-season records for regular season and conference wins.

Michigan has since lost guard Brooke Quarles Daniels – who led their team in steals per game at 2.5 last season – to South Carolina.

But the Wolverines still emerge in 2026-27 as a team with continuity in spades.

Four of Michigan’s five starters from last season are returning, including its three leading scorers in guards Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway, respectively.

Olson has been Michigan’s premier scorer since she stepped on the court in Ann Arbor two seasons ago. Last season, the sophomore guard averaged 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 46.8% shooting from the field en route to AP Third-Team All-American honors and her second consecutive All-Big Ten nod.

Swords joins Olson to form one of the nation’s most formidable backcourts. Swords averaged 14.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season, earning her a second All-Big Ten selection.

The pair earned Preseason All-Big Ten Team recognitions Thursday.

Holloway also served as a key contributor for Barnes Arico last season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. The guard made major improvements from her freshman campaign, increasing her scoring, rebounding and assists while keeping her turnover rate steady.

Last season, Michigan took UCLA down to the wire in a slugfest, falling 69-66 Feb. 8. But the matchup will look much different this time around.

After the departure of six Bruins from college to the WNBA this offseason, the Wolverines have something the Bruins will lack in 2026-27 – continuity.

And that is a trait they will look to weaponize when they face coach Cori Close’s revamped squad Feb. 2 at Pauley Pavilion.