Rich Reacts to a Wild Weekend in CFB & Why Michigan Should Stick with Tommy Carr

Michigan and Penn State were locked in a 3-0 game at halftime, and by that point at least one Wolverines fan had seen enough of Bryce Underwood. Rich shared that one of his dear fraternity brothers from college texted him at the half: if Bryce comes out for the second half, he was snapping the game off.

Underwood had thrown two interceptions. Some of it was on him and some of it wasn't, Rich said. But his body language heading into halftime looked miserable, and that's tough to see from your leader. Rich wondered whether Kyle Whittingham would see it with his own eyes. He did.

Whittingham made the move so many in the alumni base had been calling for: let's see what Tommy Carr looks like. "And we took the Carr for a spin," Rich said. Suddenly the run game was working, and everything else was working in a way Michigan hadn't shown with any consistency through the first couple of months.

"I think this is his show," Rich said. "With all due respect to Bryce." Next up is Indiana, a team coming off its first loss, and Michigan can't make any mistakes.

That first Indiana loss came against Ohio State, and Rich, a self-described expert on playing against Ohio State, had notes. Missing a bunny field goal? That ain't it. Giving up a sort-of Hail Mary touchdown to Jeremiah Smith? That ain't it either. "You make a mistake, you are going to pay for it," Rich said. "And if they make a mistake, you need to make them pay for it."

At the end, Josh Hoover was pressured and threw the ball off his back foot, too far out of bounds, when anything close would have given his receiver a shot. "That ball's in the air. You're like, oh man, he's wide open," someone said. Before the game, Indiana's Charlie Becker apologized to Ryan Day for how he celebrated beating Ohio State last year.

Day, Rich said, is a really good coach, and now he'll have to really coach. Julian Sayin is out for a good period of time after leaving in a sling, and the backup wasn't ready for that prime time game at Indiana. Ohio State has a bye and then USC, which would love to hang a scarlet and gray pelt on its wall.

The best moment of Rich's weekend was a Carr family moment. Tommy Carr scored on a third-and-nine option play, holding the ball forever. "It was one of those no, no, yes moments for me watching it," Rich said. Then the camera found Brian Griese, the quarterback of Lloyd Carr's only championship team, sitting next to Lloyd with his arm around him as they watched Lloyd's grandson score. "That was good for the soul," Rich said. "I understand I'm biased, but that was incredible."

Rich hoped for a Carr family sweep that night, with CJ Carr marching Notre Dame down the field at BYU. Carr was remarkable. So was BYU's Bear Bachmeier, whose name Rich kept hearing as "Brockmire" every time Chris Fowler said it. "Bear Bachmeier is a dope," Rich admitted.

But the ending left a sour taste. With fans coming onto the field, Rich thinks the officials simply lost track of the one second that should have remained. There was pass interference, too, "as the day is long," and the Big 12 apologized. "That doesn't help us in the moment," Rich said. "How do we, after all of this from week one, still not have it right in college football?" Even without the interference call, Notre Dame should have had one more shot closer to the end zone, with CJ Carr on a heater.

It was a seismic weekend for the playoff picture. Auburn took out Georgia. Florida took out Texas again, and now Texas is talking about giving more snaps to a redshirt freshman not named Arch Manning, even though Steve Sarkisian says Manning is still the starter. "Not going full Skattebo on him," someone cracked.

The rankings moved accordingly. BYU climbed to two. Ohio State moved from four to three. Notre Dame dropped two spots to four. Georgia fell from one to five, and Indiana from five to six. Five teams remain undefeated: Miami, BYU, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah.

The first playoff rankings come out November 3, and the studio couldn't muster much excitement. With 24 teams, both Indiana and Ohio State are getting in no matter what. For Michigan and Penn State, a third loss might be the end. Rich noted that three losses in the Big Ten could be like two in another conference given scheduling, and the real conversation will be who lands from 20 through 24. Fans will still spill into the streets of Auburn, though, as they should.

Rich's bottom line: barring injury, Tommy Carr is Michigan's new starter. "I'm results-oriented," he said.

And he had a message straight to camera for Underwood. Bryce Young was the number one overall pick and got benched. Look at him now. Jalen Hurts was part of the most famous college football benching of the century, benched by arguably the greatest coach in the history of the sport, and he ended up with a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar contract. If Underwood eventually walks out the door and transfers, as Hurts did, Rich gets it. But for now, he said, keep your head down and your head on straight.