There weren't too many concerns for the Indiana Hoosiers in their season-opening 52-16 win over North Texas on Saturday. Sure there are still areas to improve on, but overall it was a very strong showing for the defending National Champions.
The same cannot be said for one of Indiana's future opponents: the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan put forth an abysmal performance in its season opener against Western Michigan, and really should be 0-1. The Broncos thoroughly dominated the Wolverines from start to finish, and quite frankly, were robbed of a program-defining victory in Ann Arbor.
Michigan QB Bryce Underwood looked overwhelmed for the vast majority of the game, and ended the contest with a less-than-ideal stat line that included going 12-for-22 for 170 yards and a pair of turnovers. If it wasn't for his last-second miracle hail mary, his night would have been even worse.
After such a brutal showing for Underwood, Kyle Whittingham now appears to be hinting at possibly benching the former 5-star QB.
Kyle Whittingham hints that Bryce Underwood could be benched
Speaking with the media on Saturday night, Whittingham addressed the play of his QB in Michigan's 13-12 "win." Not surprisingly, he wasn't pleased with what he saw. Furthermore, he sounded very non-committal to Underwood being Michigan's QB1 the rest of the season.
Whittingham on Bryce Underwood: “He’s our QB right now. It’s not something that’s infinite.”
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) September 7, 2026
If he continues playing the way he did on Saturday night, seeing Underwood get benched wouldn't be surprising at all. He came to Ann Arbor as one of the most heralded QB prospects in recent memory, and his career has been vastly underwhelming up to this point. Last season, Underwood completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards and had nearly as many interceptions (9) as touchdown passes (11). He struggled to find any sort of rhythm, and looked overwhelmed all throughout the season.
Week 2 Big Ten Football Power Rankings: Michigan free falls, UCLA surprises
With a new coaching staff coming in, there was hope that Underwood would take a big step forward in 2026. After Saturday's performance, it's safe to say that has not happened.
If he wants to keep his starting job, Underwood needs to turn things around quickly. Michigan hosts Oklahoma in Week 2, and Brent Venables' Sooner defense was one of the best in all of college football last season. Venables will likely have a strong game plan in place, which gives Underwood an extremely tough assignment.
Indiana's matchup at Michigan would look a lot different without Bryce Underwood in the mix
Indiana is slated to play Michigan on Saturday, October 24 at The Big House. It will be the first time that the Hoosiers head to Ann Arbor in the Curt Cignetti era. By then, Underwood could find himself on the bench if he doesn't start performing a whole lot better.
Over the next month and a half before the Hoosiers make the trip to Ann Arbor, it will be interesting to see how the Michigan QB situation continues to develop. Michigan's QB room consists of backups Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and Tommy Carr. Fowler-Nicolosi, a fifth-year senior, threw for nearly 7,000 yards and accounted for 44 total touchdowns over four seasons at Colorado State before transferring to Michigan over the offseason. Carr is a redshirt freshman who has yet to appear in a collegiate game. He is the younger brother of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr.
Heading into the start of the new season, this contest appeared to be one of Indiana's toughest games of the season. The Wolverines were ranked No. 16 in the AP Top-25 Preseason Poll, and had high hopes with Whittingham taking over the program. This game will still present several challenges, as going to Michigan Stadium and getting a road win is never easy. But it's clear that Michigan is not as dangerous as originally anticipated.
Add us as a preferred source on Google