Virginia On August 26, Michigan defeated
Virginia, 18–17, in the
Pigskin Classic before a crowd of 101,444 spectators at
Michigan Stadium. It was
Lloyd Carr's first game as Michigan's head coach.
At Illinois On September 2, Michigan defeated No. 25
Illinois, 38–14, before a crowd of 70,193 at
Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, Illinois. Late in the first quarter, Michigan recovered a fumbled punt return at the Illinois 11-yard line.
Scott Dreisbach then threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open
Chris Howard in the end zone with 4:33 remaining in the quarter. In the second quarter, Clint Copenhaver intercepted a Johnny Johnson pass. Michigan converted on the turnover with a 49-yard field goal by
Remy Hamilton. Michigan led, 10-0, at halftime. The Wolverines scored 21 points in the third quarter, starting with a 46-yard pass from Dreisbach to
Mercury Hayes. After
Charles Woodson recovered an Illinois fumble,
Tim Biakabutuka scored on an eleven-yard run 30 seconds after Hayes' touchdown. Three-and-a-half minutes later, Illinois fumbled again, Rasheed Simmons recovering for Michigan near midfield. Biakabutu then scored on a 35-yard run. Early in the fourth quarter, Anthony Williams blocked an Illinois punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Michigan led, 38-0, with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Illinois scored two touchdowns in final seven minutes.
Tim Biakabutuka gained 97 rushing yards on 10 carries (9.7 yards per carry) and scored three touchdowns. After setting a Michigan record with 52 pass attempts the prior week, Dreisbach threw only 12 times, completing seven passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. Hayes caught three passes for 66 yards. On defense, Michigan held the Illini to 66 rushing yards, but gave up 285 passing yards.
Memphis Tim Biakabutuka had another big day as he rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 11 Wolverines struggled to a 24–7 victory over the Tigers. Ed Davis added a touchdown run and Scott Dreisbach was efficient completing 13 of 21 passes for 162 yards. The Michigan defense held Memphis to 96 yards of total offense. Charles Woodson and Rob Sweet had interceptions for the Wolverines.
At Boston College The Wolverine defense held Boston College to 188 yards of total offense and intercepted 4 passes as they grabbed an early lead and held on for a 23–13 victory over the Eagles. Chuck Winters, Scott King, Rob Sweet and Clarence Thompson each had one interception. Remy Hamilton kicked three field goals while Tim Biakabutuka and Ed Davis scored touchdowns for Michigan.
Miami (OH) Michigan raced to a 31–0 halftime lead and despite giving up 19 third quarter points, they held on for a 38–19 victory over the Redhawks. Remy Hamilton kicked three field goals, Tim Biakabutuka ran for a touchdown and Brian Griese threw two touchdowns. Griese completed 14 of 24 passes for 192 yards. Mercury Hayes and Amani Toomer were on the receiving end of Griese's TD passes.
Northwestern Despite Tim Biakabutuka rushing for 205 yards, #7 Michigan fell to No. 25 Northwestern 19–13 at Michigan Stadium. Darnell Autry rushed for 100 yards for the Wildcats and a Steve Schnurr 2-yard pass to Matt Hartl tied the game at 13–13. Sam Velanzisi kicked two field goals to give Northwestern the win and spur them on to winning the Big Ten title. Remy Hamilton kicked two field goals and Brian Griese ran for a touchdown to account for Michigan's points.
At Indiana Michigan raced to a 24–3 halftime lead on the way to a 34–17 victory over the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana. Tim Biakabutuka rushed for 111 yards and Brian Griese completed 14 of 21 passes for 127 yards. Griese threw two touchdown passes, one each to Amani Toomer and Jerame Tuman. The Wolverine defense held the Hoosiers to 40 yards rushing and had interceptions by Chuck Winters and Clarence Thompson. Remy Hamilton added two field goals.
Minnesota Tim Biakabutuka ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 9 ranked Wolverines routed the Golden Gophers 52–17 at the "Big House". Brian Griese completed 14 of 19 passes for 271 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Amani Toomer caught 5 passes for 177 yards and two TD receptions. Michigan finished with 623 yards of total offense.
At Michigan State The Spartans led 14–3 at halftime thanks to a 70-yard Derrick Mason punt return TD. The Wolverines rallied behind Brian Griese and led 25–21 with 3:38 left. Tony Banks guided the Spartans 88 yards over the next 2:24, with a fourth and 11 pass to Mason keeping the drive alive and a juggling catch later in the drive. Banks found Nigea Carter for a 25-yard TD with 1:14 left, finishing 26 for 34 with 318 yards in the 28–25 win for Michigan State. Tim Biakabutuka rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown for the Wolverines.
Purdue A muddy field, freezing temperatures and wind gusting to made Michigan's offense ineffective Saturday. The #13 Wolverines rode Remy Hamilton's field goal and Clarence Thompson's safety to a 5–0 victory over Purdue. It was the lowest-scoring game at Michigan Stadium since the Wolverines defeated Northwestern 7–0 in 1972. Michigan held Purdue to just four first downs, one in the first half. Both teams floundered while Michigan controlled the ball 37 minutes, 22 seconds, but the Wolverines gained only 283 yards on 79 plays.
At Penn State The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the second quarter following a 49-yard field goal from Brett Conway and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Wally Richardson to Mike Archie. Michigan answered on a Brian Griese touchdown pass to Amani Toomer, but Conway added a 51-yard field goal to make it a 13–7 game at halftime. Remy Hamilton kicked a field goal to set the score at 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter. Richardson and Bobby Engram connected on a 12-yard scoring play in the fourth quarter to make it a 20–10 game. Michigan pulled to within three on an 18-yard touchdown run from Tim Biakabutuka. Then the Nittany Lions used a fake field goal attempt to seal a 27–17 victory over the Wolverines. With 2:40 to play and the Lions leading 20–17, kicker Brett Conway lined up for a 19-yard field goal attempt. The snap went to holder Joe Nastasi, who breezed into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to help clinch the win over the 12th ranked Wolverines.
Ohio State Tim Biakabutuka rushed for 313 yards and a touchdown, and led #18 Michigan to a 31–23 upset over the No. 2 Buckeyes in front of 106,288 at Michigan Stadium. Michigan ran up 381 yards rushing while holding the Buckeyes to just 106. Overall, Michigan had 484 yards total offense to Ohio State's 392. Brian Griese hit Clarence Williams for a 2-yard touchdown for a 7–3 lead. The teams traded field goals, a 38-yarder by Michigan's Remy Hamilton, and a 37-yarder by Josh Jackson with six seconds left in the half, and the Wolverines were up 10–9 at halftime. Trailing 17–9, Ohio State got a one-yard touchdown dive by George, but did not convert on the two-point play. Williams scored from 8 yards to increase the Michigan lead to 24–15. A two-yard touchdown run by Biakabutuka with 7:55 left in the game would give the Wolverines all the cushion they would need at 31–15. Ohio State got to within eight points on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Hoying to Buster Tillman, and a two-point conversion, with 6:33 left in the game, but that was as close as the Buckeyes would get.
Alamo Bowl Texas A&M scored first on a nine-yard run by running back Eric Bernard to take a 7–0 lead. Michigan answered with a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brian Griese to wide receiver Amani Toomer, tying the game. Texas A&M scored again following a 27-yard field goal by kicker Kyle Bryant, and Texas A&M reclaimed the lead at 10–7. In the second quarter, Remy Hamilton kicked a 28-yard field goal for Michigan to tie the game at ten. Bryant kicked his second field goal of the game, a 49 yarder before half to give Texas A&M a 13–10 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Bryant added another 47-yard field goal to increase the lead to 16–10. Michigan's 26-yard field goal from Hamilton closed the margin to three, but Bryant added field goals of 31 and 37 yards to put the game out of reach, giving Texas A&M a 22–13 lead with 22 seconds left in the game. Griese's 44-yard touchdown pass to Toomer pulled Michigan to within 22–20 with only five seconds left. This was the final bowl win for the Southwest Conference, which disbanded the following spring. In the final AP poll, Texas A&M climbed to fifteenth and Michigan fell to seventeenth. ==Roster==