Michigan football has completely changed the narrative in the past couple years.
Ohio State was the class of the Big Ten, and still is in terms of talent. Yet, the Buckeyes have been Big Ten favorites the past two years, and it’s been the Wolverines who have come out on top — in The Game as well as in the conference.
With the 2023 season on the horizon, Michigan football will likely go as far as its junior quarterback will take it. And in a conversation with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, J.J. McCarthy shares that his goal is to keep beating Ohio State, but more importantly to win the whole shebang before he leaves the program.
“My 1A goal is bring a national championship to Ann Arbor; 1B is to never lose to [Ohio State],” McCarthy said. “That will mean a lot to me. From the guys that play scout team to the guys that are touching the ball every play, we have to be our best at all times. That’s not always going to look pretty, but we just got to keep pushing, keep pushing and growing in every aspect, and we’ll be where we want to be by Nov. 25.”
Of course, McCarthy had a prime opportunity in 2022, but in the College Football Playoff semifinal against TCU, his play giveth, but it also taketh away.
McCarthy had some eye-popping stats — 343 yards passing and two touchdowns. But those passing stats were eclipsed by two awful plays when he threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Without those, who knows what would have happened in that game and beyond. The Wolverines were seen as locks to the national championship game, yet they found themselves going back to Ann Arbor while the Horned Frogs departed Phoenix for a rainy Los Angeles.
In the aftermath of that game, McCarthy had few words. He departed the postseason dais after answering just one question. That’s because he realized in that moment the impact he had on the loss — his first as a starter at the college level. But instead of letting that moment define him negatively, he’s using that game as fuel to push him forward.
“[TCU] definitely hurt a whole lot more,” he said. “When I went in freshman year and we were playing the defense of the decade, it was kind of like, ‘All right, let’s see what I can do out here.’ Realistic expectation set in, like, ‘It’s going to be tough.’ But this TCU one, it was all in my hands. It was obviously a team effort, but I was in the driver’s seat. It’s a whole different pain that I’ve felt, and one that’s still driving me today.”
Michigan has the fifth-most talent returning in college football, at least in the latest ESPN ranking, which is the most in the Big Ten, and the best of all of the presumed national championship contenders. If Michigan goes far, McCarthy will be a big reason why.
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