Nick Saban likes the direction Michigan is headed - but not enough to pick the Wolverines to get out of Week 8 with a win.
On College GameDay, the former Alabama coach weighed Michigan against Indiana and gave the Wolverines credit for what he’s seeing on defense and under center. Still, he landed on the Hoosiers.
"I actually think Michigan is moving in the right direction right now," said Saban. "Their defense has played great.
I think the new quarterback may give them life. But I just don't see Indiana losing two games in a row, so I'm taking Indiana."
Michigan enters the game at 4-2 after a season that has already forced a quarterback change. Bryce Underwood, the much-hyped starter, has been sent to the bench, and former walk-on Tommy Carr has taken over the offense. Carr helped Michigan survive a narrow three-point win over Penn State last week, though the Wolverines also needed a deeply-controversial rescue just to get to 4-2 in the first place against Western Michigan.
The schedule does offer a little breathing room after Indiana. Rutgers at 2-4, Michigan State at 2-5, and a struggling Oregon team at 4-2 are next on the slate.
But the back end is brutal, with No. 9 UCLA and No.
3 Ohio State closing things out.
New coach Kyle Whittingham is expected to be given patience after an ugly stretch under Sherrone Moore, and the move was made with the idea of bringing stability back to the program after Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the NFL and Moore’s trouble replacing him. Whittingham arrived with a long track record from Utah, where he went 177-88 over two decades.
Even with that pedigree, Michigan has been a hard watch in 2026. The Wolverines rank 17th in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 22.7 points per game and also sit 17th in total yardage at 313.3 yards per game. They were 17th in the league in QB rating and 18th in passing yardage when Saturday began, a sign of how badly the Bryce Underwood era has gone off script.
Carr’s insertion at least gives Michigan a chance to climb, but the runway is short and the finish line is ugly, with three top-10 teams still looming.
In Other News...
Michigan May Have A Costly Kyle Whittingham Decision Coming
Kyle Whittinghams first year in Ann Arbor has already put Michigan in a familiar modern college-football bind: the bigger the coaching gamble, the bigger the financial consequences if it does not work out. Whittingham was hired on a five-year, $41 million deal, and the buyout language attached to the contract means Michigan would owe 75% of his remaining salary if it moved on without cause, a figure that currently sits at $25.8 million.
The same concern extends to offensive coordinator Jason Beck, whose three-year, $9 million contract carries its own financial protections if the school decides to change direction before the deal runs out. For Michigan, the issue is no longer just whether the staff is delivering on the field, but how much it would cost to reset if the results never catch up to the investment. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offense Has Made Jason Beck The Real Story
Michigans offense has become the defining issue in a season where the defense has done enough to keep games within reach. In the 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana, the Wolverines had chances in favorable field position, including multiple drives that started deep in Indiana territory, but came away with only three points. The recent stretch has featured too many punts, too many turnovers and too little yardage on possessions that did not begin after defensive takeaways.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham has acknowledged the offense needs to get better, but he has not offered much clarity on how that happens, and the pressure has settled squarely on offensive coordinator Jason Beck. The results have made the play-calling and overall direction of the unit impossible to ignore, especially for a Michigan program that expects far more when its defense is giving it opportunities. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Escaped Michigan But A Bigger Problem Is Starting To Show
Indianas 13-6 overtime win in Ann Arbor was the kind of road result that will be remembered in Bloomington for decades, not just because it finally broke a drought stretching back to 1967, but because it came in a game defined by offensive frustration on both sides. Michigan never found a rhythm, managing only three yards per play, while Indiana was hardly any cleaner despite leaving with the win.
For Michigan, the larger concern may be what the performance said about the offense itself, especially with freshman quarterback Tommy Carr making his first career start. Carr got off to a shaky beginning and the Wolverines never fully recovered, letting Indiana hang around long enough to create the opening that decided the game. [Read more 🡒]