The No. 16 Oregon Ducks (6-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) return to Autzen Stadium to face a Michigan Wolverines football program in turmoil after their shocking 15-6 home loss to their in-state rival, the Michigan State Spartans. 

The Wolverines' offense has struggled all season in their first year under coach Kyle Whittingham, and they fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck after their loss to the Spartans. On Saturday against the Ducks, there have been conflicting reports, per ESPN's Pete Thamel, that, despite Tommy Carr being named the starting quarterback, the Wolverines will also play Bryce Underwood.

As the Ducks prepare for the possibility of playing two Michigan quarterbacks, here are the five things to know about Carr and Underwood ahead of Saturday's matchup.

1. Tommy Carr Earned Starting Role After Bryce Underwood’s Struggles

Wolverines sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood entered the 2026 season with so much promise to take the next step for Michigan. However, after struggles in their loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers and in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Wolverines decided to go in a different direction at quarterback.

In their 21-18 home win over the Nittany Lions on Oct. 17, Carr came off the bench and led the Wolverines to victory after Underwood was benched. Since then, Carr has shown his ups and downs, but his performance against the Spartans was by far his worst performance as a starter. Carr finished the loss to the Spartans throwing for 138 yards and two interceptions on 14 of 26 passes. 

Carr was also sacked five times by the Spartans and will have new offensive play-calling against the Ducks on Saturday. Can the addition of new offensive play-calling help Carr turn things around for the Wolverines?

2. Bryce Underwood is a Former Five-Star Quarterback

Underwood arrived in Ann Arbor with all the hype. The former five-star quarterback out of Belleville, Michigan, was originally committed to the LSU Tigers before the Wolverines flipped him in November of 2024.

In the 2025 recruiting class, Underwood ranked the No. 1 overall recruit nationally, per 247Sports. During his career with the Wolverines, Underwood has thrown for 3,352 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. 

3. Tommy Carr Has Deep Family Roots

Tommy Carr is the grandson of former Michigan Hall-of-Fame coach Lloyd Carr, who had a legendary coaching career with the Wolverines, leading them to a national championship in 1997. He’s also the younger brother of Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr, who, after leading the Fighting Irish to an upset win over the then No. 1-ranked Miami Hurricanes, is among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this season. 

The family roots run deep and show that Carr, much like his older brother CJ, has the potential to develop into a reliable quarterback for the Wolverines. The growing pains that he’s gone through this season could lead to future success for the freshman quarterback.

4. Bryce Underwood Has Thrown More Interceptions Than Touchdowns

Among the key reasons why Underwood was benched for Carr was the number of interceptions the Michigan quarterback threw before getting benched in the Wolverines' win over the Nittany Lions. 

Underwood has thrown for a total of 924 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions this season. Turnovers have always been an issue for the former five-star quarterback, and it's crucial in the moments he potentially plays against the Ducks that he doesn’t turn the ball over. 

5. Turnovers Also Issue For Tommy Carr

In the games that he’s played this season as a starter, turnovers have also been an issue for Carr. Along with the two interceptions that he threw against Michigan State, Carr also recorded one in the Wolverines' 13-6 overtime loss to the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers on Oct. 24. 

The Ducks' defense, which has arguably one of their best performances of the season in their 41-28 win over the No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, would like nothing more than to force turnovers to help it earn another impressive win over the Wolverines. 

After their upset win over the Buckeyes, the Ducks return to Autzen Stadium as 10.5-point favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook betting odds. The Ducks and Wolverines will kick off at Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the game broadcast on FS1.