UTEP is in its first season in the Mountain West and has already seen both ends of the spectrum: a 51-0 shutout loss to Oklahoma to open the year, then a 51-10 blowout win over Texas Southern to get to 1-1. Michigan's own injury picture has trended the right way, with offensive lineman Evan Link and edge rusher Carter Meadows expected back after missing the Oklahoma win, though backup lineman Andrew Babalola is out for the foreseeable future.
Light rain is in the forecast for Michigan Stadium, with wind in the area of 8 mph — nothing severe, but a wrinkle for a Wolverines passing game that's still finding its rhythm under center.
Scotty Walden's Miners play fast and lean into tempo, which is the identity that got them run over by Oklahoma's size up front in Week 1 before they found softer competition to fix the mistake. Michigan's roster gap is bigger than anything UTEP saw against Texas Southern, and Ann Arbor on a Saturday is a different environment than either of the games the Miners have played so far this year.
For Michigan, this is as much about building habits as beating an overmatched opponent — Underwood settling in, the offensive line reps working. For UTEP, just getting through the Big House with a positive step counts as a real building block heading into the start of its Mountain West schedule.