After Michigan's demoralizing loss, one major question is on the minds of fans, pundits, and even head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Should Bryce Underwood still be the Michigan football starting quarterback?
It's a fair question. I would have said asking it a week ago was ridiculous. However, after a 10-of-21 performance for 101 yards, a performance worse than those stats indicate, it's time to at least think about turning to Tommy Carr.
That doesn't mean Bryce Underwood is benched forever, although if Whittingham takes that step, Underwood's career with Michigan football might be over.
Numerous pundits have called for Michigan to give Tommy Carr a try, including Rick Neuheisel. The CBS Sports analyst said Underwood should sit on the sideline and watch.
Maybe that would help Underwood, but that's not a tenable sitaution. If Tommy Carr becomes the starter, it's hard to see Bryce ever getting the job back. He would probably transfer. Honestly, who could blame him?
The whole situation has been a struggle. Too much was expected, and yes, part of that had to do with the money. Last week, Underwood made progress. He accounted for 312 yards against one of the better defenses in college football.
Yet, this week, Underwood was awful. He missed a wide-open Andrew Marsh on a play that ended up as an interception. Even on the final fourth-and-five, Underwood threw the ball out of bounds, instead of hitting a wide open tight end to extend the game.
It was hard to watch. It has been for two years now. There were signs of progress as recently as last week, but it's hard to play quarterback if you can't read a defense, or if you can't process things from the pocket.
Will Michigan football bench Bryce Underwood?
My gut tells me it's too early. Underwood should get the bye week to regroup and see what happens. The leash should be short. Whittingham and Michigan football need to win games. A 3-2 record with losses to Iowa and Minnesota, for the first time under PJ Fleck, is just unacceptable.
This is a playoff-caliber roster. Michigan football should be 5-0. Instead, the Wolverines are left wondering if they should turn to true freshman Tommy Carr to save their season, even before it has reached the halfway point.
Whittingham was correct that he has some difficult decisions to make. What he decides could determine not just Underwood's future, but his own as Michigan's head coach.
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