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The college football season is set to get underway with Week 0 matchups this weekend, and that includes an intriguing top-25 matchup between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland. That is the marquee matchup of the week, and then the Week 1 slate will pack quite a punch the following weekend. The Michigan football team starts its season on August 30th, and the Wolverines are ranked No. 14 in the country to begin the year. We still don't know if it will be freshman Bryce Underwood or Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene taking the first snaps under center when Michigan hosts New Mexico.
Michigan's season opener is right around the corner, and there are definitely some intriguing position battles to pay attention to before Week 1 rolls around. After going 8-5 last season, there are a lot of question marks surrounding this team, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. We know that the Wolverines are going to be strong defensively, and that unit overall isn't a concern. The offense is a different story, and it starts with the quarterback.
The Wolverines had one of the worst offenses in the country last year, and the inability to throw the football was a big reason why. The Michigan football team didn't have a reliable quarterback, and the wide receivers struggled as well. If Michian is going to have the season that it wants, the offense needs to be a lot better than it was a year ago.
Offensively, Michigan needs to be better at QB, as that was the big issue last year. There are only 10 days until the Wolverines begin the season, and they haven't named a starter yet. Bryce Underwood or Mikey Keene? Let's talk about the two players and pick a winner.
Bryce Underwood and Mikey Keene continue to compete
Towards the end of last season, the Michigan football team landed a commitment from the top player in the 2025 recruiting class. That player is Bryce Underwood. Underwood is one of the best QB prospects to ever come to Ann Arbor, and he is expected to be a star. However, he isn't the only addition to the QB room.
Michigan also brought in a couple of transfers this offseason. East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia is one of them, but he was a late addition and seems to be there for depth. Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene was brought in to compete for the starting job, and he certainly has the edge over Underwood when it comes to experience.
Keene started his college career in 2021 at UCF. He spent two seasons with the Knights before transferring to Fresno State, where he also spent two years. Keene had a couple of solid seasons with the Bulldogs as he threw for nearly 3,000 yards in both, and he totaled 42 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He also completed over 70% of his passes last season. Keene has had a solid career, and he brings a ton of experience to the Wolverines. Can he hold off the star freshman?
The QB that changed everything for Jim Harbaugh was JJ McCarthy. McCarthy was a big-time recruit, and he was the first elite QB that came to Michigan out of high school in the Harbaugh era. The Wolverines were still a run-first team, but when they needed a big play through the air, McCarthy always came through. He ended up being a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. Now, Michigan has another star at the QB position, and he is coming in with even more hype than McCarthy.
Underwood has a chance to be what McCarthy was for Harbaugh for Sherrone Moore. The difference is that this is just Moore's second season as head coach, and McCarthy didn't come to Michigan until Harbaugh's seventh season. If Underwood pans out, he can set Moore up for sustained success.
Michigan QB prediction
So, who is it going to be? The experienced transfer, or the star freshman? Expect Bryce Underwood to trot out with the offense next weekend to take the first snaps under center. He hasn't played a snap of college football yet, but at the end of the day, it's hard to imagine anyone in that QB room being better than him. All of the offseason chatter has been about Underwood winning the competition, and Sherrone Moore should be announcing a winner soon. It's likely going to be Underwood.
Mikey Keene suffered an injury during spring ball, and that seemed to derail his chances of winning the job. He missed out on a lot of valuable time to work with his new team, and there hasn't been any momentum about him starting for the Wolverines since the winter.
If it is Underwood, the pressure will be on as he is a true freshman. However, with how good the defense and running backs are, the Wolverines shouldn't need him to do too much. Michigan never had to rely on JJ McCarthy to carry the offense because of how good every unit on the field was. Michigan's goal is to get Underwood into a similar type of situation. The Wolverines want those explosive plays through the air, but they also want to run the ball down the opposition's throat. If Underwood can make those big plays, this offense should be looking much better this season.
![Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws the ball during fall football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Lagway-throws.jpg)
