Michigan’s Week 7 win did more than snap a two-game skid. It also changed the conversation at quarterback, with Bryce Underwood pulled at halftime and freshman Tommy Carr stepping in to spark the offense. Michigan scored touchdowns on two of its first three second-half drives, then added another late to put the game away.
For now, the Wolverines still haven’t locked in what comes next. Kyle Whittingham praised Carr, but he did not say whether the freshman will keep the job or whether Underwood will get another look.
That uncertainty in Ann Arbor is part of a much bigger QB picture across the Big Ten, and several Saturday developments mattered for Michigan’s road ahead.
The wildest finish of the day came in the Ohio State-Indiana matchup. With just over a minute left and Indiana facing fourth-and-4, Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh for what looked like the winning touchdown. Marsh, though, could not get both feet down in bounds, and the play ended in a turnover on downs.
That loss snapped Indiana’s 22-game win streak that dated back to the 2025 season opener.
For Michigan, the bigger issue was what happened to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. Sayin went down with an arm injury in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Day said he would be out for "several weeks." Freshman Luke Fahey came on in relief, and he will presumably start in two week as well.
Sayin still has a little more than a month to get back before Ohio State’s regular-season finale against Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be ready for that game. Day did not provide a firm return date, and even once Sayin is cleared, he may need time to get back into rhythm. Until that timeline becomes clearer, this one stays front and center.
UCLA also gave Michigan something to watch, even in a game that leaned heavily toward defense. Against Wisconsin, the Bruins forced three punts on their first three defensive series, while Wisconsin answered with an interception to finish the first half and another to open the third quarter.
The game stayed tight until the fourth quarter, when UCLA finally created separation. Anthony Woods finished the Bruins’ third-to-last drive with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.
Wisconsin never really responded. Its final two possessions covered just 10 plays and 29 yards.
That result matters because UCLA comes to Ann Arbor in just over a month, and the Bruins are still sorting through life after Nico Iamaleava’s season-ending knee injury last week. Ty Dieffenbach got his first start, and while one game doesn’t tell the whole story, he did enough to keep the offense moving.
Michigan won’t need Dieffenbach to be a star when UCLA arrives, but he does need to be functional enough to keep defenses honest and prevent them from loading up against the run. If he can do that, Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods can keep doing damage.
Oregon’s game with Nebraska finished ugly, and for Michigan, the most important takeaway is that the Ducks still look shaky without Dante Moore. Through three quarters, Oregon had only six points. Nebraska was only slightly better, leading by eight over that stretch.
The game opened up in the fourth quarter, when Oregon finally found two scoring drives and kept Nebraska from mounting anything on defense. The clock-control moment came when Nyziah Hunter could not get out of bounds, which effectively ended Nebraska’s hopes.
That situation matters because Oregon visits Ann Arbor on Nov. 14, and the Ducks’ offense has not looked right without Moore. Dylan Raiola had three turnovers in his start a week earlier, and Brock Thomas followed with an even rougher outing on Saturday, finishing with just 54 passing yards and -3 rushing yards before Raiola came back in at the start of the fourth quarter.
Moore’s status remains unsettled after a severe concussion against USC two weeks ago, and whether he’s available by the Michigan game could end up shaping that matchup as much as anything else.
In Other News...
Former UCLA Players Just Landed An Unexpected Shot After Football
A pair of former UCLA football players are getting a very different kind of look this week, as WWE stages a tryout event at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu during its 2026 Hawaii Live Tour. The setting makes sense for the companys latest outreach, with the event designed around giving athletes a chance to learn the ropes from some of the promotions biggest names while opening the door to a possible next step in their careers.
Among the participants are Yutake Mahe and Noah Pulealii, both of whom bring Polynesian backgrounds to the mix and now find themselves working in front of a completely different audience than the one they knew in college. WWEs lineup of mentors for the event includes Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Liv Morgan, Rey Mysterio and Bayley, adding some real star power to a tryout that could reshape where these ex-Bruins go next. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Just Put Itself In Position For A Huge 2027 Backcourt Win
UCLAs recruiting push in the 2027 class took a meaningful step when the Bruins hosted five-star combo guard Jalen Davis on an official visit as they continue to work on one of the more important backcourt pursuits on their board. The highly ranked guard out of Washington has drawn a wide circle of attention, and UCLA is trying to put itself in position with a player whose profile fits the kind of perimeter talent the program wants to keep bringing in.
Davis is sorting through a group of major programs, with North Carolina, Iowa, Gonzaga and Stanford all still in the picture, which only adds to the weight of the recruitment for UCLA. For the Bruins, the visit mattered because it gave the staff a chance to make a stronger case in a race that figures to stretch on, with Davis combination of skill and physical tools making him the sort of target that can shape a class if the momentum holds. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Just Proved It Can Win With A Very Different Formula
A week after losing starter Nico Iamaleava to injury, UCLA needed a different kind of win against Wisconsin, and it got one. The Bruins were held to just 23 rushing yards, far from the balanced attack they usually want, but they still found a way to improve to 6-0 under coach Bob Chesney by leaning on the passing game and staying composed when the offense wasnt quite finishing the job.
Ty Dieffenbach stepped into a bigger role and gave UCLA the kind of stability it needed, guiding the offense with confidence against a tough opponent. Even with drives stalling before reaching the end zone at key moments, the Bruins did enough to leave with the win, which only adds to the sense that this team may have more than one way to survive when the game plan gets turned upside down. [Read more 🡒]