Michigan football's quarterback competition continues to be a bit of a case study.

Fourth-year quarterback and team captain Cade McNamara is the team's returning starter who led them to Big Ten glory. Known for his intangibles and efficiency, the Reno native commanded the offense that led the country in explosive plays.

His backup last season, J.J. McCarthy, scored seven touchdowns while mixing in as a run threat at quarterback. After missing spring ball due to a shoulder injury, McCarthy's fall camp was so undeniable that head coach Jim Harbaugh publicly announced a competition.

To take it a step further, the eighth-year Michigan head coach said each quarterback would start a game before deciding on a starter. Unsurprisingly, Harbaugh added that the competition might last longer than two weeks.

Following Week 1 of the two-week, however-many-weeks, competition, the trajectory of who wins the starting job lies in McCarthy's hands on Saturday when Michigan takes on an 0-2 Hawaii team under the lights.

It's McCarthy's first start as a Wolverine and the first time since the team's final game in 2020 that McNamara isn't starting.

Following a game against Colorado State where he needed to reassure Harbaugh on why he is Michigan's starting quarterback, McNamara went 1-of-6 in the red zone, looked off with his accuracy, and his only touchdown was a screen pass.

The stage is set for McCarthy to win the job under the lights against an atrocious Hawaii defense.

Harbaugh had his weekly press conference on Monday and didn't show his hand on whether or not he felt differently about the competition following the first game.

"We've plowed this ground about as thoroughly as it can possibly be plowed. Dating back to the summer when you asked the question, I said, yeah, one could start, the other could start, or it can be a combination of both in the games. Those are the options," Harbaugh said when asked if he wanted to stick to one quarterback. "Happy that we've still got another week to look at it. I said that each would get a start, and I think it's fair as it could possibly be."

In that same post-game press conference, McNamara said Harbaugh didn't want the two quarterbacks to switch mid-game this year as they did in 2021.

Still, Harbaugh wouldn't budge.

"I think I said the same thing to you guys, prefer to have a starting quarterback for each ballgame. Very transparent with that. I also said, yeah, if things are exactly the same as they were coming out of camp, which they were dead even, we were, as coaches, going to find a way to maximize both of their talents," Harbaugh said. "That remains a very viable option. "As for this week's game, we know McCarthy will get the ball to start the first half and a part of the third quarter.

Depending on how the sophomore from Chicago plays, we'll either be having this conversation for a long time or not having it at all.

The Wolverines host the Rainbow Warriors at Michigan Stadium on Saturday at 8 PM EST.

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