Putting Up Numbers· college football

Michigan’s carries with Bryce Underwood and since Bryce Underwood’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Michigan was 1.7 carries under with Bryce Underwood and 7.6 carries over since Bryce Underwood’s last game in 2026, 6 games against 2. The plain averages are 34.8 and 42.5, a difference of 7.7. All 3 games while ranked were with Bryce Underwood. All 3 nonconference games were with Bryce Underwood. All 4 first-half games were with Bryce Underwood.

Bryce Underwood, quarterback: 924 passing yards, 124 pass attempts and 72 completions in 7 games this season, 24% of Michigan’s carries in those games.

2 games since Bryce Underwood’s last game is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

carries a game over expected

A −9.3 difference in carries over expected with Bryce Underwood vs since Bryce Underwood’s last game is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Bryce Underwood and it comes up 13 times in 100.

A −7.7 difference in carries with Bryce Underwood vs since Bryce Underwood’s last game is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Bryce Underwood and it comes up 13 times in 100.

The games

with Bryce Underwoodsince Bryce Underwood’s last game
Michigan’s games, 2026, each marked with Bryce Underwood or since Bryce Underwood’s last game
SideDateGameResultcarriesExpected
Sep 5, 2026vsWestern MichiganW2540.2
Sep 12, 2026vsOklahomaW4133.0
Sep 19, 2026vsUTEPW4138.2
Sep 26, 2026vsIowaL4036.4
Oct 3, 2026@MinnesotaL2836.7
Oct 17, 2026vsPenn StateW3434.4
Oct 24, 2026vsIndianaL4234.7
Oct 31, 2026@RutgersW4335.0

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every 2026 game between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, plus 0.6 for the home team (the edge the fit finds once strength is in), nothing at a neutral site.
  • Each expected number is then fit to the season’s games: a game bears out about 61% of the difference the model predicts.
  • The two sides are the games before and after one date, so the shuffle moves any game between them.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists, which name every player who entered the game.
  • With him means he was the team’s quarterback that game, at least half of its pass attempts; a game he left early or came into late reads as without him.