I have some comments to add to those already made.
For those that haven't been to Michigan Stadium since Lloyd Carr (or Moeller or Bo) was roaming the sidelines, there are some significant changes. Much of the stadium has been re-done, from concrete in the stands, to a complete overhaul of the bathrooms and concessions. The two structures on the east and west side dominate what you see on TV, but there were also several other smaller structures added, most of them for restrooms. Women will find plenty of bathrooms now and men will find that the troughs are gone and individual urinals are not the norm. Technically, seats were widened, but it can still be a tight fit, especially if someone has tried to crowd an extra into the row. Michigan went through 10 rounds with the Feds over the ADA (and lost), and the stadium is now far more accessible for disabled patrons than at any time in its history.
As far as tickets go, the visiting section is the last 5 rows of the bowl that extends all across the south end zone (right side of your TV picture). Michigan has gone in with StubHub as a market to move extra tickets and these are almost uniformly overpriced well in advance of the game, but will drop as the game gets closer. Michigan still has a vibrant on-street ticket trade and there are usually plenty to find well under face value ($75 for the Minnesota game). If you are looking for a better seat than top of the end zone, I'd recommend this as a way to go. Separating the "pros" from a "guy with extras" is pretty easy to figure out. There is very little police hassle of those trying to get rid of extras. There WILL be tickets on the street for the Minnesota game.
Parking is getting more expensive. The Golf Courses and Pioneer High School (SE of Michigan Stadium) will be $50 per vehicle this year. They are a great experience, once, but if you don't mind a short walk (3/4 of a mile), there are lots of little gems of places to park for less than half of that. Tailgating can range from the loud party atmosphere, to the grass lot owned by families that are secure and picture-esque. The "X" factor to parking is always the weather. If there is heavy rain and the golf courses have to close, parking can turn into a free-for-all. I can provide some specifics if need be.
Travel into and out of Ann Arbor is well organized on game day. If you are coming the long distance, you might consider a hotel stay in Jackson or Battle Creek (home of Kelloggs) which are 30 and 70 minutes outside of Ann Arbor, respectively. Hotel rates there will be far cheaper than in A2 and it's a little bit easier on the travel day. Traffic along I-94 between Chicago and Ann Arbor in the state of Michigan is a speed limit of 70 with traffic often moving at 75-80
The atmosphere in the stadium is better than it used to be. The new structures help reflect crowd noise back into the stadium. Michigan has resorted to using microphones to amplify the sound of the Marching Band which can get annoying at times. Since it's Michigan's homecoming for the Minnesota game, there will be no Gopher band and the crowd may be a little bit "older" than it would be otherwise.
Security is visual based. They will try to weed out containers of any kind (even unopened bottled water is not allowed). I have never had a problem getting a 6" photo lens in via a pocket, but the best advice is to be subtle. The usher corps is beginning to turn from people who have been doing to for 40 years or more to a more responsive based system which means if you complain about something
I'm biased, but I don't find Ann Arbor a dump in any sense of the word. The downtown is a great college town environment with tons of places to eat and drink. You might consider parking downtown and then walking to and from the stadium (20 minute walk). Again with homecoming that weekend, some "destination" places will be more crowded than they already are for a football weekend.
FWIW, I'm a Michigan season ticket holder. I appreciated advice given to me for my first trip to your wonderful new-stadium and we had a great time in the FairGrounds lot (though we don't understand why everyone left to quickly) and would be happy to assist in any way possible to make a trip to Ann Arbor as enjoyable as possible.
