It’s becoming abundantly clear that Mother Nature doesn’t want most in the Midwest to enjoy spring football.
While Minnesota moved up its spring game two days because of weather, Iowa State (HERE), West Virginia (HERE) and Wisconsin (HERE) all canceled theirs with not-so-optimal forecasts on the horizon. Very late Wednesday morning, Michigan joined the latter group, with the Wolverines announcing that their spring game has been canceled “due to weather patterns that project a high percentage chance for rain and thunderstorms on Saturday (April 14).”
The forecast for Ann Arbor Saturday is for a high of 48 with a 100-percent chance of rain and/or thunderstorms.
“We want to ensure the safety of our fans as well as the student-athletes and staff,” said U-M athletic director Warde Manuel in a statement. “We also wanted to provide as much notice in advance for fans and the families of our players that were considering attending.”
“We are disappointed for our fans and players’ families that this opportunity to see our team compete at Michigan Stadium will not be possible due to weather concerns,” head coach Jim Harbaugh began in his statement. “We made a decision that was in the best interest of our fans, student-athletes and volunteer staff needed to organize this event.”
Michigan will open its fourth season under Harbaugh Sept. 1 on the road against Notre Dame. In Harbaugh’s first three seasons, the Wolverines finished third (2015), third (2016) and fourth (2017) in the Big Ten East.