At a program with 45 Big Ten championships, the standard is non-negotiable. For new coach Kyle Whittingham, meeting that standard has been the expectation since he took over as the head coach. Once again, he is reiterating the same.

“Well, in Michigan, I believe every year, you got to be challenging for the Big Ten championship,” Whittingham said in a 1-on-1 conversation with Greg McElroy on ESPN’s Always College Football. “I mean, that’s expected. I think there’s probably a half-dozen schools in the conference that feel the same way every year.”

Michigan remains the royalty of the Big Ten despite two disappointing years under Sherrone Moore, during which they failed to reach the conference championship game. However, of their 45 conference wins, three came in the past five years under Jim Harbaugh. The Moore period was an exception to the norm.

Whittingham, being no stranger to conference titles, understands the demands he is placing on himself and the team. In Utah, he won three conference titles, finished with eight 10-win seasons, and received a national coach of the year award. At the time of his departure, he left with a 177-88 overall record over 21 seasons.

Before the Wolverines began spring practice, Michigan was asked a similar question. And in the same vein, he said he would “expect in Michigan you challenge for the Big Ten title every single year. I mean, that should be a given. Every single year you should be in the hunt. And deep in the season, you should be right there with the top teams.”

The former Utes coach did not leave out the playoffs, however. He called it a “lofty goal” but emphasized that the playoffs are usually a reward for succeeding in the Big Ten, so it’s a “step-by-step” journey. With teams like Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana in the same conference, just reaching the conference game would ensure a chance to appear in the playoffs. 

For Whittingham to have retained his expectation of a conference title even after witnessing the Wolverines’ spring practice, it is clear he and his players are doing something right. Interestingly, he noted those things and reiterated his stance without any doubts.

“And we do have new schemes on both sides of the ball. We had some attrition in the portal with the coaching change. There was some uncertainty there for a while. And we got quite a few of those guys back out of the portal back into our program, but did lose quite a few good players. But that being said, no excuses. This is Michigan, and you should be competing for a Big Ten title year in and year out. That’s my feeling,” Whittingham said. 

One of Whittingham’s most important players as he seeks the Big Ten title is quarterback Bryce Underwood, who he is set to unleash like never before in the 2026 season.

Whittingham makes a statement on Bryce Underwood

Whittingham’s first task as the Wolverines head coach was to spend some 45 minutes convincing Underwood to remain in Ann Arbor. Underwood listened, and Whittingham has not ceased showering him with praises ever since, comparing him to Cam Newton recently. However, Whittingham wants him to improve his passing and decision-making, rather than rely too much on his running game.

“Tremendous athlete, he’s got as high a ceiling as anyone I’ve been around, absolute tremendous arm strength, can extend the play, he’s an athlete, he can run the ball, and we’re planning on running him this fall.” Michigan’s head coach, Kyle Whittingham, told the Big Ten Network. “Now we’re not going to run him excessively because that’s not sustainable, but he’ll have his place in the run game.”

In 2025, Underwood threw for 2,428 yards for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 60% pass completion percentage. But he has also shown an excessive dependence on his feet, rushing for 392 yards and six touchdowns.

While Whittingham sees Underwood as a key part of the Wolverines’ run to a Big Ten title, he would want him to adopt a “sustainable” style that not only improves his performance but also ensures he is not limited by injuries when the team needs him.