For the No. 23 Oregon Ducks (6-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten), winning out the rest of their schedule is one of many steps needed for the potential of a College Football Playoff appearance.

Standing in their way for the first of the Ducks' final three game stretch is an Autzen Stadium match up against the Michigan Wolverines (5-4 overall, 2-4 Big Ten), and their regular season storyline feels eerily similar to the Ducks' roller-coaster timeline.

Michigan Wolverines Open Up Quarterback Competition

After a 15-6 loss to the Michigan State Spartans, Wolverine coach Kyle Whittingham fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck (similar to Oregon coach Dan Lanning firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer after the programs' loss to Illinois) and is also opening up the quarterback competition once more.

Whittingham spoke further about the uncertainty in who's leading inside the pocket during his weekly pregame press conference. It should also be noted that this announcement comes a week after freshman Tommy Carr was announced as the starter for the Wolverines for the "foreseeable future."

Against the Spartans, Carr punched in a concerning 14-26 pass accuracy with 138 yards and two interceptions in the air. He also carried the rock seven times for -19 yards in the day against the Wolverines' in-state rival.

"To be determined," Whittingham said. "But there was consideration about, you know, whether to insert Bryce [Underwood] and try to create something and after discussion, it was determined that, you know, stay the course with what we had in that particular game. But going forward, we'll take a look at everything again and see what gives us the best chance to win as it always comes down to that."

The Bryce Underwood Component

Underwood, the sophomore who ended the 2025 season with 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns in the passing game, was benched during halftime as Michigan fought back from two non-scoring quarters to defeat Penn State at home with a final score of 21-18.

It should also be stated that postgame after the loss to the Spartans, Whittingham said of not putting Underwood into the game during the third quarter, "In hindsight, maybe we should have done that."

"But we've got some serious issues," Whittingham added during his postgame press conference. "And we'll, like I said, go to work tomorrow. I don't know what else to say other than we're not going to just give up on the season. We've got three games left. And very good teams, like I said. We've got some kids in that locker room who have a lot of pride and a lot of want-to. And we just got to find a way to get back on track."

Which Wolverine Will Face The Ducks?

According to Whittingham, the Wolverines will assess which quarterback will start against Oregon by evaluating practices throughout the week (similar to Lanning's response after senior quarterback starter Dante Moore was injured against USC and senior quarterback Brock Thomas struggled against Nebraska and when junior quarterback Dylan Raiola struggled against UCLA and Illinois).

If history has proven itself, the Wolverines playing a freshman quarterback against a veteran Oregon defense (even with the loss of senior edge rusher Teitum Tuioti due to injury) would feel like Ohio State playing their true freshman Luke Fahey to wilting results the week prior.

It should also be noted that Underwood has never played the Ducks in his two-year college career, but currently boasts 924 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 58.1 percent in pass attempts.

The ultimate decision lies with interim play-caller Jim Harding for which quarterback will suit up for the first visit from the Wolverines to Eugene since 2003.