After Saturday's loss to Michigan State, Kyle Whittingham said that Bryce Underwood should have gone into the game as the starting quarterback.
On Monday, one day after firing offensive coordinator Jason Beck, Whittingham said that the starting quarterback for the Wolverines on Saturday was to be determined.
#Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham says it’s TBD on who starts at quarterback this weekend pic.twitter.com/364wEGzWER
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) November 9, 2026
Could Bryce Underwood return as Michigan's starting quarterback against Oregon?
Whittingham said that Tommy Carr played well against Rutgers, but took a step back against Michigan State.
For starters, any Michigan quarterback should play well against Rutgers. That's not really something that Whittingham should be excited about.
It does seem like Underwood should get another chance. Heck, he probably shouldn't have been benched in the first place. Whittingham blamed the sophomore quarterback for the offensive issues when the biggest problem was the guy calling the plays.
Now that will be offensive line coach Jim Harding. With the way that unit has played, it doesn't inspire much confidence that things will improve.
It does feel like Underwood deserves another chance. He should have gotten another chance against Michigan State. Who knows if it would have done any good, but Tommy Carr wasn't ready to play this season. He should not have been inserted into the lineup when it was clear he wasn't ready.
Underwood was never put in a position to succeed with this coaching staff. The Rhino doomed the offense from the beginning. It made things too predictable. Beyond that, it put a backup on the field.
There's a reason most teams aren't playing a sixth offensive lineman. If they were good enough to be on the field, they would be.
As far as Carr and Underwood are concerned, it feels like it won't make much of a difference. Carr has a better QBR than Underwood, whatever it's worth.
Underwood struggled against Penn State. Carr played well. Therefore, it's hard to say simply that Underwood would have put up better numbers against Rutgers or similar. I'm not sure.
It's probably worth seeing, though, if sitting has done Underwood any favors.
Carr will never have Underwood's talent. Yet, there are still things that Underwood could learn from watching Carr. The decision-making was better. Carr seemed to handle the blitz better, but he also didn't have the arm talent to make some of the throws Underwoood can make.
At the same time, it felt like Underwood might not have the touch needed to complete some of the passes Carr completed against Rutgers.
The main takeaway is that the whole situation is a mess. Jason Beck doomed the offense from the start. Carr and Underwood have had good moments and bad.
Underwood had the Iowa game. He also played well against Oklahoma and UTEP. Carr was solid against Penn State and Rutgers, but only managed 12 points in two full games against Indiana and Michigan State.
There were four goal-to-go opportunities when those were one-score games that didn't yield a single touchdown. That alone might be enough justification for a change. That and the hope that Underwood has improved.
Beating Ohio State is the only thing that really matters, and based on what we have seen so far this season, Underwood playing the next three games might give Michigan the best chance to do that.
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