The No. 21 Michigan Wolverines (2-1) travel to Lincoln on Saturday afternoon for a highly anticipated showdown with the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0).
Both teams are looking to stake their claim as Big Ten contenders, and this matchup will go a long way in showing where they stand among the conference’s elite, which currently includes No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State, and No. 6 Oregon.
For Nebraska, this is the kind of stage they’ve been waiting for—a chance at home, with expectations as high as they’ve been in nearly a decade, to secure a top-25 win under head coach Matt Rhule, now in his third season.
Michigan, however, is no easy task. The Wolverines’ sole loss came on the road at No. 11 Oklahoma, and they bring plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, though still inexperienced, might have the most raw ability of any player on the field.
Last week, in a dominant 63-3 victory over Central Michigan, Underwood completed 16 of 25 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also rushing nine times for 114 yards and two more scores.
Now, ahead of his second major road test, Underwood shared a clear message about his mindset going into Saturday.
“Just remember that I’m blessed and thanking God for the position I’m in, because no matter what, we wouldn’t be in this position without God,” Underwood told On3’s J.D. PicKell. “I prayed for moments like this, prayed for the strength — the mental strength, the physical strength — to be the best and perform the best I possibly can.”
Michigan will once again be without head coach Sherrone Moore, who is serving the second and final game of his suspension from the university for his role in the sign-stealing scandal under former coach Jim Harbaugh.
That means interim head coach Biff Poggi will again be on the sidelines leading the Wolverines. It sets up a tough road environment for a freshman quarterback and an interim head coach, but Poggi brings plenty of experience.
As of now, the Wolverines are slight 1 1/2-point favorites, according to DraftKings Sportsbook—a line that could shift before kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
There are still more than two months until Michigan’s Bryce Underwood faces Ohio State for the first time, but the freshman quarterback has been familiar with the Wolverines-Buckeyes rivalry for years.
The five-star recruit out of Belleville High grew up less than 30 miles from Michigan Stadium.
“I just knew it was the biggest rivalry in sports history, and it still is to this day,” Underwood said in an interview with On3’s J.D. PicKell on Thursday. “Just knowing my home state is willing to fight, defend and do anything that’s possible to not only beat Ohio State but be the best us we could possibly be. It was life-changing for me growing up, because I played for a little league football team that was the Motor City Wolverines.”
Underwood and his current Wolverines are off to a 2-1 start and open Big Ten play Saturday at Nebraska (3:30 p.m. CBS).
“Just do what I do every single day going into the game,” he said of his mentality entering Saturday. “Be the best me in practice, leading our team, keeping our energy up during practice. That’s our goal – being the most connected team — being a team. Individual stats aren’t really the main thing or the thought process going into games. It’s about being the most connected team, bringing each other together and being the best us we could possibly be.”
Here are the other highlights from Underwood’s interview with On3:
On where he’s grown the most from when he arrived on campus: “I would say being a better leader vocally, because I feel like coming in, who wants to listen to a freshman? That was until I realized the quarterback is the leader of the team, he is the captain of the team, even without the ‘C’ on his chest. So, that being my main thing now going into every single snap, every single play, every single second of the game is the biggest shift and biggest mindset change for me.”
On what it was like rooming with senior fullback and two-time captain Max Bredeson during fall camp: “He’s a great person. He’s an overall leader. He taught me a lot of things about leadership going into fall camp, first day of fall camp. Just be you. Play football. Be you. It’s fun. Play football. Whenever you see Max Bredeson hit somebody, he smiles.”
On what is more meaningful – being compared to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi calling him Batman last week: “I mean, Batman, that was the first time I ever heard somebody compare me to Batman. So it’s like a win-win, honestly. So I’ll take that.”
On if he’s going to break out a backflip celebration soon: “No. The first day I got here, Coach Moore straight up said, ‘No backflips. I have no time for you getting hurt.’ That’s unfortunate, so who knows if it might come or not? It still might be a possibility because sometimes (he’ll) give me a pass here or there.”
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, unleashed, saw open space downfield and took off on what looked like a designed run. He wasn’t slow. He breezed into the end zone.
In his office in Lincoln, Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler rolled up his proverbial sleeves, maybe wiped some nervous sweat off his brow, and knew he had to get to work.
In Ann Arbor, Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale watched video and saw Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, enjoying plenty of protection, complete pass after pass. He has completed 76.6 percent of his passes in 2025. Raiola is on track to improve his terrific 2024 completion percentage of 67.1 percent.
Butler and Martindale, two of the best in the business, will be tested Saturday afternoon in the teams’ Big Ten opener. The Nebraska v. Michigan game, replete with ramifications for both teams, could turn into a quarterback-driven outcome. Raiola and Underwood are that talented.Around football, quarterbacks often are the focus, but with Underwood and Raiola maybe more so.
Raiola, a sophomore who was a five-star recruit, has shown improvement from last year’s extremely solid season. His control of the offense is apparent. So is his leadership, as teammates verify. His decision-making is precise — accepting that zero quarterbacks in history made every correct decision. He is delivering the ball on target.
Underwood, a five-star freshman who was the nation’s No. 1 recruit last year, had a slow start to his college career. His talent was evident even if it wasn’t ready for prime time. His arm strength was formidable, but his touch on the ball hadn’t yet been developed.
Underwood was 16-of-25 passing for 235 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Another aspect of the quarterbacks’ past performances that no one should ignore is the quality of their opponents this season. Nebraska outscored its last two opponents, 127-7. That wasn’t a resurrection of the Nebraska mid-90s teams. It’s how overmatched Akron and Houston Christian were.
Same with Michigan, but with a twist. The Wolverines struggled with New Mexico in the opener and *really* struggled in a loss at Oklahoma, in front of a passionate crowd, in Week Two. Then they crushed Central Michigan.
How will these talented quarterbacks step up against much better competition? Will Underwood thrive in a another hostile stadium against a punishing defense? Will Raiola make plays if he has less time to throw, if receivers are covered and a pass rush is in his face?
Raiola and Underwood share a common thread in their college selections. Both committed elsewhere, changed their mind, and wound up where they are.
Raiola originally committed to Ohio State, then Georgia, his home state university, and stayed committed to the Bulldogs for nearly seven months. Raiola took an official visit to Nebraska in December 2023, days before the early signing period, and made the switch to the Huskers.
Underwood committed to LSU before a late switch brought him home to Michigan. Underwood is from Belleville, Mich., less than 20 miles from the Big House. When he flipped, he made the announcement on Instagram: “Hometown Hero.”
Such is life in the NIL era, when recruits flip and rosters turn over. It’s the cost of doing business. Sometimes your favorite team wins the recruiting battle; other times it doesn’t.
No matter where Raiola or Underwood started — or had planned to start — they look right at home now, and right where they belong.
