Ann Arbor will be the center of the college football world this upcoming Saturday when the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines host fellow 2023 College Football Playoff participant Texas at the Big House on FOX.

College football pregame shows Big Noon Kickoff and College Gameday are both scheduled to be in attendance previewing the marquee matchup. It will be just the second meeting all-time between the storied programs and the first at either one of the teams' campuses. (Texas got the better of Michigan, 38-37 in the 2005 Rose Bowl.)

On Monday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore spoke on the tough challenges that Texas will present.

"Yeah, we're super excited for the challenge," Moore said. "You know, we've got a really good football team coming in, in all three phases. Coach Sark [Steve Sarkisian] has done a really good job with the program. And, you know, on offense, they present challenges because the way he calls the game and what he does, his creativity, his rhythm. Obviously, they have a really great quarterback. Skilled players, fast everywhere. Running back is really good. I know they got the other two that got hurt, but the running back they have now is really good, too. And the line is as good as you'll see in the country. So, I know our defense is excited for the challenge to go against them offensively. Their defense played very well — sound, not very many mistakes. I think they have four returning starters on defense, and they have guys that have played. So, super excited for Saturday."

"The big thing that stands out is their speed, their ability to separate. And I think Sark does a really good job of just putting them in position to showcase their talent. So for us, it's going to be doing everything we can to contain those guys."

The Longhorns scored early and often against Colorado State in their season opener on Saturday afternoon. Former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers led Texas to a 52-0 drubbing of the Rams in Austin, throwing for 260 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Michigan, meanwhile, struggled to pull away from Fresno State, and the Wolverines' offense oftentimes looked confused and failed to consistently move the ball down the field.

Saturday's contest between two of the nation's premier brands is an uncommon occurrence for Michigan in comparison to recent seasons. In the last three years, Michigan has played nonconference games against Bowling Green, UNLV, East Carolina, UConn, Hawaii, Colorado State, Northern Illinois, Washington and Western Michigan.

While Washington is a significant nonconference opponent, the 2021 Huskies fell to Montana the week prior to the Michigan game and finished the season 4-8.

It's been five years since Michigan truly had a nonconference game that brought together two big brands, and that was against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a game the Wolverines won, 45-14.

Moore discussed the opportunity his team has to play in a nonconference game of this magnitude.

"Yeah, I think it's exciting for our players, for the program, for the fans, everything," Moore said. "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. So for us, it's just about the preparation this week. You know, we start today. We get the players in today. We're gonna make sure we evaluate the film hard. I know we've got a lot of guys came in yesterday, already watched it on their own. They've watched it on their iPads, but for us, it's about the preparation this week of doing what we can to go win every day."

Michigan and Texas are scheduled to kick off at 12:10 p.m. EST on Saturday on FOX, with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call.

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