Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines hit a low point in the program’s history a few years ago, finishing the COVID-19 season with a 2-4 record, leaving the Maize and Blue with an 11-8 overall record over the previous two seasons. However, Michigan football turned things around in 2021, and despite a couple of College Football Playoff losses, the Wolverines have secured back-to-back Big Ten titles and more. With a national title in the program’s sights, Michigan football is a “train that just kept rolling,” according to junior quarterback JJ McCarthy.
College Football Playoff losses can’t halt Michigan football’s momentum heading into 2023
Yesterday, Michigan football quarterback JJ McCarthy had the opportunity to comment on how momentum is building for the Wolverines with less than a month until the start of the 2023 season. McCarthy stated that the Wolverines have bounced back from the CFP loss on New Year’s Eve in 2022; in fact, he emphasized that Michigan is “like a train that just kept moving” despite the setback.
“You hit it right on the head — (Michigan football) really is just a train that kept on rolling ever since TCU,” second-year starting quarterback JJ McCarthy told the media on Monday. “We ran into a little big of an obstacle (last year’s College Football Playoff loss), but that train kept on moving.
“All the guys that came in — the young guys, the transfers — they hopped on and they kept helping us push all the way from the start of this winter offseason,” McCarthy said. “Its been really awesome to build off of that because a lot of times you build everything up from the season, you get to a certain point and then it goes back down and you’ve gotta build it back up again. It doesn’t feel like we went back down, we just kept going.”
A national title hangs in the balance for the Maize and Blue
Over the past two seasons, Michigan football has displayed a mixed record in significant post-season games. On one hand, the Wolverines have secured two substantial blowout victories in the Big Ten title game; however, on the other hand, Michigan currently holds a 0-2 record in the College Football Playoff and has yet to even take the lead in a CFP semi-final game. With a national title on the line this coming fall, it is anticipated that JJ McCarthy and his Wolverines will persist in building momentum, possibly leading the Maize and Blue back to the top of college football for the first time in the better part of three decades.
Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!