Besides Arch Manning, no quarterback has more of a chip on his shoulder than Bryce Underwood. After having an uneven season as a Power Four quarterback, Underwood enters Year 2 with plenty to prove. But now that Kyle Whittingham is taking over in Ann Arbor, Michigan has all the talent to make it big in the Big Ten. However, the schedule leaves very little room for error. 

During a recent Big Ten Network discussion, Dave Revsine pointed out that in Michigan’s schedule this year, “seven of their 12 opponents won at least eight games this season ago” – suggesting that Whittingham has his work cut out for him. After all, the team is set to face six top-25 opponents.

Gerry DiNardo agreed that the schedule could be daunting. But he pushed back on the idea that Michigan would simply be outmatched physically. 

“If you look at the talent, nobody they’re going to play is going to have more talent than Michigan,” DiNardo said. 

Instead, he believes the challenge will come down to whether Michigan can get its team ready for those games and, more importantly, whether Underwood can take the next step at quarterback.

“They’ve got a quarterback that really needs to improve between now and the first game. But he’s talented, he’s getting great coaching, and he just has to get better to put this team in position to win all those games.”

Former Michigan tight end Jake Butt agreed, pointing the focus right back to the sophomore quarterback. 

Butt pointed to Oklahoma, Iowa, Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State as five of the toughest defenses Michigan will face this season. For Underwood, that means there won’t be much time to settle in. The former five-star will have to improve quickly against some of the best teams on the schedule. 

“We’re going to learn a lot about Oklahoma when he plays Oklahoma week 2,” Butt said. “I’m really curious to see the growth between week two and week four as far as Bryce Underwood goes.” 

That’s a pretty significant challenge for a quarterback who is still developing.

Underwood was one of the biggest recruiting stars in recent college football history, and Michigan has made him a major part of its future. That’s one reason the Wolverines have high expectations heading into 2026. However, Bryce Underwood had a tough freshman season at Michigan. He threw for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing about 60.3% of his passes. He also ran for 392 yards and six touchdowns.

Inconsistency, especially against big teams, is one of his biggest concerns. Last season, it worked because the Wolverines’ strength of schedule was around 54th in the country. But in Phil Steele’s 2026 power-rating assessment, the Michigan Wolverines’ schedule skyrocketed all the way to No. 2 nationally.

So, USA Today ranked Michigan No. 4 in its Big Ten power rankings, with getting the most out of Underwood expected to be one of Kyle Whittingham’s biggest jobs. Now, with a tough schedule ahead, the pressure is on Underwood to show why Michigan believed in him so much.

That said, Whittingham’s team isn’t solely relying on Underwood to figure things out.

Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill was asked which position groups still concern him from a depth standpoint, and his answer was pretty revealing.

“Well, we’ve got some young linebackers that have got to continue to step up,” Hill said. “And then in the secondary, we really got to find that fifth, sixth, seventh corner. Same thing at safety. Fifth, sixth, seventh safety.”

Then again, the Wolverines’ defense has always balled out, and with Jay Hill and Kyle Whittingham leading the way, they should be in good hands. There are some depth concerns, but Michigan has enough talent to compete with anyone on its schedule.