As fall sports get underway and college football starts, Michigan football begins the new season as the defending Big Ten champions. The standards are high for the young Ann Arbor squad, and many critics have an important question for the Wolverines: Are they good enough to become back-to-back champions and beat the team down south?

Last year, the Wolverines had a historical year; they beat the Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time in eight years, a game that many will remember for a long time. It was also the first time that Jim Harbaugh’s squad beat the Buckeyes under his command. The Wolverines had become the team to beat in the Big Ten going into the playoffs on December 31, but the game didn’t go as well as everyone hoped when the Wolverines lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 34-11.

With that said, some very high standards have been set for Michigan. One decision that needs to be made in order to maintain that new standard is the QB1 job. The young JJ McCarthy has gained a lot of momentum from U of M fans as the five-star, blue-collar athlete, unlike Cade McNamara, who is the quiet and consistent quarterback who took the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and a victory over OSU. JJ was involved in all but three games last year. He played well, with five touchdowns and only three picks. JJ had a stellar week two performance against Hawaii, with three touchdowns and a completion percentage of 93.7%. Most likely, JJ will earn the starting job in week three against UConn.

Quarterback is not the only position of strength for the Wolverines, as they have a potent offense returning that includes a few critical players such as running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, wide receivers Ronnie Bell (returning from an ACL tear), Cornelius Johnson, and AJ Henning, and kicker Jake Moody. All of those guys could have a phenomenal 2022 season. The defense will not be an issue either, though the Wolverines did lose two star defensive players in Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo; however, they return defensive linemen Mazi Smith and Mike Morris. 

There are many young and talented players on this U of M roster, but the Wolverines will be looked at with a critical eye as the fall football season gets underway.

“They just ought to go ahead and fire [Harbaugh] today and save the agony of waiting till November.” Quotes like this from Paul Finebaum prove my point that the Michigan Wolverines will be looked at with a very critical eye if they can’t get the job done this year.