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ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 13: ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky reacts prior to the start of the NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Buffalo Bills and the Atlanta Falcons on October 13th, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire NFL: OCT 13 Bills at Falcons EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon251013176
Apr 8, 2026, 1:30 PM CUT
Ex-UConn QB Forced To Wear Michigan Earrings After Wolverines Beat the Huskies
Dan Orlovsky is paying the price for a lost bet. The ESPN analyst will be wearing Michigan-themed earrings on air for the next month. Here's how a friendly wager with Taylor Lewan went wrong.
Orlovsky's alma mater did not win the national title as the UConn Huskies lost to the Michigan Wolverines, and the game ended 69-63 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For Orlovsky, this meant that he'd lost a lighthearted dare. Adam Schefter reports that Dan Orlovsky now has to wear a clip-on dangling Michigan earring for the next month on every show he appears. And here is the kicker: if he misses a day, it starts over.
It all came down to the 2026 national championship clash, where Dan Orlovsky found himself on the losing end of a wager with Taylor Lewan, which resulted in Michigan winning their first title since 1989.
The Bridgeport, Connecticut native played for the UConn Huskies from 2001 to 2004 and was drafted in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Throughout his four-year UConn career, the QB played 46 games, recorded 10,706 yards, and had 84 passing touchdowns.
Now, during his next ESPN shows, including NFL Live, Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter, Orlovsky will need to wear the Michigan earring, and missing it even once restarts the cycle.
However, one might wonder what if the dare had gone Orlovsky’s way, then what?
What Would Have Happened if Connecticut Won the National Title?
This dare went two ways. A part of it was with Dan Orlovsky, and the other part of it was with Taylor Lewan.
Taylor Lewan, the former Michigan Wolverine and NFL player with the Tennessee Titans, also had a dare to commit to if the Wolverines came short.
For Taylor Lewan, his dare was to dye his hair Husky blue once. Failure to do so within two weeks would result in keeping it Husky blue for the rest of the calendar year.
For Taylor Lewan, who currently co-hosts a podcast, “Bussin’ With The Boys,” he will not have to dye his hair any color, let alone Husky Blue. The former Wolverine comes away with the bragging rights on this one.
