The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS The Wolverines caught the college football world by surprise with a 12-2 record and Big Ten championship dur- ing the 2021 season. The program typi- cally has a large target on its back, but will be sneaking up on nobody in 2022 and beyond. The Big Ten title was Michigan's sixth since 1992, though the first since the 2004 campaign. The program won back-to-back conference champion- ships in 1997-98 and 2003-04, and seeks to repeat again next season. Michigan's title defenses have been a mixed bag over the last 30 years. The follow-up to 1992's 9-0-3 season resulted in an 8-4 finish in 1993. Head coach Gary Moeller won three straight conference crowns after taking over for Bo Schembechler in 1990. A pair of 8-4 (5-3 Big Ten), fourth-place finishes in 1993-94 would be his final seasons on the college sideline before resigning in 1995. The Wolverines have Lloyd Carr to thank for the majority of their success over the past three decades. Carr won five Big Ten championships and had a stretch between 1997-2004 where his team finished in the top two of the standings in seven of eight seasons. The team slid to 7-5 (5-3) in 2005 and tied for third in the Big Ten. It would not finish higher than second in the confer- ence pecking order until the 2018 team tied for first place in the Big Ten East. Ohio State won the tiebreaker and went to the championship game that year. Jim Harbaugh's only other experience with conference championships came at the University of San Diego. USD won back-to-back Pioneer Football League titles in 2005-06, so there is precedence for his team getting back. In the NFL, his San Francisco 49ers also won back-to- back NFC West Division championships in 2011-12 and reached three straight NFC championship games. Michigan is hoping his previous championship magic comes in threes and that it will not take 17 more years to get back to Indianapolis. — Anthony Broome J.J. McCarthy Is Primed To Take The Offense To The Next Level — Maybe … By Chris Balas If you'd told us three years ago that Cade McNamara would be the guy to lead Michigan to its first Big Ten title since 2004, we'd have thought you were nuts. Sure, McNamara is talented, but guys like Dylan McCaffrey and J.J. Mc- Carthy were both projected as "next- level guys," and most believe that's what it takes to lead a program to a title. Even big-armed Joe Milton got his shot be- fore McNamara, and it was hard to deny his physical attributes. At the same time, McCarthy seems to have a lot of what Mc- Namara possesses, in addition to better physical skills. He can run, has an NFL arm and made some "wow" plays in his first year. He stresses defenses with his ability to keep it in the read- option, and puts the ball in windows McNamara simply can't. In short, his ceiling is higher. It wouldn't surprise at all, however, if McNamara got the nod in Week 1. He's only been a starter for one year, something folks seem eager to overlook, and like McCarthy, he'll improve. In fact, we would predict a platoon of some sort in the non- conference portion of the schedule. But the strong belief here is McCarthy will have a much bigger role in 2022, at the very least. Cade McNamara Will Fend Off The Competition By Clayton Sayfie McNamara has been written off time after time, but there he was last sea- son, leading Michigan to its third-ever 12-win season, first-ever College Foot- ball Playoff appearance and first Big Ten title since 2004. Joe Milton had the better arm in 2020, but McNamara wound up being the guy by season's end. J.J. McCarthy has the physical tools — and by all accounts will be a fantastic player — but McNamara is smart, steady and talented in his own right. He completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns with just six in- terceptions in 14 outings, while managing the offense well and making the right decisions with the ball. And don't forget this — McNamara was a first-year starter last season, still has room to grow and has proven before he's capable of making vast improvement. His teammates speak of his strong work ethic — he is always one of the first players in the building and last ones to leave, and it's hard to envision a competitor like McNamara giving up the starting job without a fight; McCarthy will have to pry it away. We'll predict McNamara is the starter next season, with McCarthy also having a role. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHICH QUARTERBACK WILL LEAD THE WOLVERINES INTO BATTLE IN 2022? McCARTHY McNAMARA Michigan rolled to its first Big Ten champi- onship since 2004 with a 42-3 victory over Iowa Dec. 4. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL How Football Followed Up Big Ten Championship Seasons Since 1992 Year Record Next Season 1992 9-0-3 8-4 (T-4th in Big Ten) 1997 12-0 10-3 (1st) 1998 10-3 10-2 (T-2nd) 2000 9-3 8-4 (2nd) 2003 10-3 9-3 (1st) 2004 9-3 7-5 (T-3rd) 2021 12-2 ???