Michigan football to wear blue pants against Iowa
Michigan Wolverines football has announced its uniform combination for the Saturday afternoon showdown at Iowa. U-M will wear blue pants, white jerseys, white accessories, blue gloves and blue cleats. That all is along with the iconic winged helmet, of course.
Michigan has worn blue pants just seven times in the program’s 143-year history, and this will be the eighth. The Wolverines first sported the look in an 18-13 win over Penn State in 2014. There was a seven-year break before they brought the pants back, wearing them in a 31-10 win over Washington in 2021.
RELATED
• Five burning questions for Michigan football ahead of big test at Iowa
• Five impact players to watch: Michigan football vs. Iowa
Michigan donned blue pants six times last season — in the game against the Huskies, a 38-17 triumph at Wisconsin, a 59-18 win at Maryland, a 42-27 beatdown of Ohio State, a 42-3 drubbing of Iowa in the Big Ten championship game and a 34-11 loss to Georgia int he Orange Bowl.
Michigan has worn the blue pants with white jerseys three times, including in last year’s Big Ten championship game against the Hawkeyes. This contest serves as a rematch of sorts, with Iowa hoping to exact revenge.
The Maize and Blue began tinkering with their road uniforms during the 2021 campaign. Before last season, U-M wore only white pants on the road during the head coach Jim Harbaugh era, other than going with maize bottoms in a 2017 loss at Penn State.
Fourth-ranked Michigan is an 11-point favorite over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, where the Wolverines have lost four straight and not come out on top since a 23-20 overtime victory in 2005. Iowa is 5-1 in its last six home games against top-five opponents.
Michigan leadership council provides input on uniforms
Last year, senior defensive back Mike Sainristil revealed that Michigan’s leadership council has a say in what the uniform combination will be.
“Yeah, we decide that,” Sainristil said. “Coach Harbaugh asks us what uniforms we feel would be best for these games, and that type of stuff.”
The council was something new for the Michigan program last season. It was formed in fall camp and includes roughly 12 players.
“We just laid out a foundation of what this team is going to be built off of, and how us as players are going to take account for everything that happens this year, understanding that everything is on us,” Sainristil explained in 2021.
Sainristil is now one of five captains for the 2022 squad.
