No. 4 Texas expected to give No. 9 Michigan tough test, providing contrast to recent soft schedules

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has played in many marquee matchups in recent years.

Only the high-stakes games, including three straight trips to the College Football Playoff, did not happen early in the season.

Texas is coming to town this week and it doesn't get much bigger than that, or better for college football fans.

The fourth-ranked Longhorns will provide a tough test on Saturday for the ninth-ranked Wolverines, who had the luxury of tuning up for Big Ten Conference play with soft schedules the last two years.

Michigan will find out quickly if the relatively low expectations for a defending national champion were merited or simply underestimated Sherrone Moore's first team.

“It’s exciting for our players, for the program, for the fans,” Moore said Monday. “You want these type of games. You want these atmospheres. You want these building blocks to help you mold your team and really get where you need to be.”

Texas found out how good it was in Week 2 last season when it beat then-No. 3 Alabama and went on to make the College Football Playoff.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said 46 current players experienced the victory over the Crimson Tide, showing them what it takes to win away from home.

“You have to have great poise and composure when you are in these type of road environments,” Sarkisian said.

The winner in front of more than 110,000 fans in the stands and millions of people watching on TV will get a boost for its bid to win a national championship while the loser still will have hope thanks to the expanded, 12-team playoff.

“Because of the new format, I like this matchup even more," Sarkisian said.

The victors also will earn some bragging rights for the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten.

Texas was dominant in its opener, clicking on offense with quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning while swarming on defense in a 52-0 rout of Colorado State.

Michigan, meanwhile, turned a closely contested game into a 30-10 win over Fresno State with an entirely rebuilt offensive line that struggled until late in the game.

A decade go, both schools announced their traditionally powerful programs would have a home-and-home series for the first time.

The first game is this week and the return trip to Austin is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2027. The Vince Young-led Longhorns beat the Wolverines on Jan. 1, 2005, in their only meeting, at the Rose Bowl.

In college football history, Michigan is No. 1 in all-time wins with 1,005 and Texas is No. 4 with 949 victories.

And finally, they're facing off in the regular season.

“I’m super pumped,” Sarkisian said. “I love college football. To think these two iconic programs, with those iconic uniforms and iconic helmets meeting for the first time in the Big House … yeah, that’s awesome.”

The Wolverines kicked off their 2023 national championship season with mismatches against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green one year after opening with Colorado State, Hawaii and Connecticut.

Oddmakers don't seem to think Michigan is ready for the challenge, making it an underdog by a touchdown, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Wolverines, though, say they will be ready.

“It's going to be like Rose Bowls, Ohio State games,” said Michigan's Will Johnson, a preseason All-America cornerback. “Those type of games, I feel like that's when we play our best football.”

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AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report. Follow Larry Lage at https://twitter.com/larrylage

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Larry Lage, The Associated Press