JJ Says National Championship is the Goal - ESPN Fluff
Mates,
In case you missed it, our QB #1, JJ had this to say in an interview with ESPN:
"That's my ultimate goal," McCarthy told ESPN on Tuesday. "I have a lot of goals, we have a lot of goals, but it's to bring a national championship to Ann Arbor. We're just so close."
"My 1A goal is bring a national championship to Ann Arbor; 1B is to never lose to [Ohio State],"
No bulletin board material, just a summer interview with our starting QB. I am excited for the coming season. If we stay healthy I like our chances to beat ohio and go back to the CFB.
Link to the article: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37924570/michigan-qb-jj-mccarthy-says-ultimate-goal-win-title
Have a nice night.
XM
If he comes up short and only accomplishes one of those two things I'll still be a very happy person.
Which one?
I'd say never losing to Ohio State. It's hard to imagine winning a national championship without beating OSU, especially with this year's weak non-con schedule. And frankly a championship won after losing to OSU would feel incomplete at best.
OSU was a missed field goal away from that very scenario just last year…
OSU almost won the national championship after losing to OSU?
Interesting...
Did you forget the /s ?
There's a dark alternate universe where OSU hits that field goal and then beats TCU 70-10 to win the national title last year
It's mildly interesting that the team seems to be putting the national championship as their primary goal instead of beating OSU/winning the Big Ten. Corum said something similar in his Those Who Stay episode a couple threads down. I like that the standard has been raised, just don't caught looking ahead. We have one more year of a 4-team playoff; winning the natty is likely predicated on beating Ohio State and winning the conference.
Let's just make the goal "win every game" ... everything else will fall into place.
And not saying "natty"
Is Natty Lite OK? Need to pick some up before the Friday drinking thread.
Natty Lite is ok. Bud Light, on the other hand, is to be determined, mostly on what political affiliation you have.
No. Never.
I just don't get it! If you can afford a 6-pack, at least spend an extra dollar and get something a little less bad...
I don't think the people buying Natty Lite are usually buying it by the 6-pack.
Is it okay saying "natt"? Like the recent post about Matt Beniers?
Or ‘ship….please….
Exactly. You aren’t guaranteed to reach the final goal without first winning all of your games and it is easy to become complacent, entitled, and dismissive of opponents if you lose focus. One week at a time. I think it is understood that what is desired is a championship. That’s every team’s goal at the start of a season. The hard part is doing it, not taking any weeks off. Now that we are a repeat BIG champion and playoff team every team we play will have some added motivation to give us their best shot on top of the role that envy plays because of our historical success and perceptions of arrogance. Have to stay humble, motivated, and focused on executing the little things in addition to the grand.
You nailed it. All it takes is a bad game and a team like Illinois can ruin it all like what almost happened last year.
I think having all that experience back on offense will be the difference though. They're all battle tested in big games and hostile environments. Most games it will be like men against boys on the offensive side of the ball. I think the leadership on both sides will pull them through every game.
Did we overlook Illinois, or were we just down about 6 starters in a bad weather game against a good team?
“Just win”, Charles Woodson 1997
Yes I'm a little afraid of this as well. Winning can build false confidence and losing can build an edge. In all honesty, winning two games out of three games in a row when both teams are really good is incredibly hard to do. OSU is focused on beating us right now and we are focused on winning a NC. seems the mind set has reversed a little.
I think Davis Warren should get all the MSU snaps...you know...for practice. Sounds like a good time to rest some folks. I imagine Warde will be especially attentive to the officiating plans and ...ahem...logistics of team movement for all away games as one might reasonably expect.
Keep an eye out for Sir Robin...
Beating Michigan is MSU's only goal every year. You can't sleep on MSU even when they are at their worst. They also specialize in dumb luck.
#1 should always be to beat Ohio State. Everything else can be 2a,b 3 or whatever.
Nah. National Championship is #1. It's the reason you play. A title is the goal. Ohio State is a rival trying to stop you on the path to that goal.
Currently the road to the national championship goes through Ohio State so as a practical matter there is no way to not prioritize beating the Bucks. However, come the 12 team playoff that changes things. Sure you want to beat them, but winning a national title just means more (thank you SSS-EEEE-CCC for your convenient catch phrase!)
I wholeheartedly disagree. You play football to crush your enemies. Championships are the laurels, but not the reason you play.
classic line from one of the best meathead movies of all time.
I agree with this. First goal is to always beat OSU. That being said, that is their goal and to beat the reigning champion makes sense too.
If Michigan lost to OSU in the regular season but still ended up winning the national title, I think most everyone here would be okay with that.
If OSU had made that field goal against Georgia, it’s likely they would’ve beaten TCU, and I don’t think they would’ve cared much anymore about losing to Michigan.
Still definitely see what you’re saying, but there is an instance where you can lose to OSU and still have a successful season.
I remember in 1982 when we lost to OSU and still went to the Rose Bowl. It definitely felt like backing in. We lost the Rose Bowl but even if we had won something would have been missing.
College football is becoming increasingly like the NFL -- especially when things move to a 12-team playoff after this year. Odds that Michigan plays OSU twice in a season at least once over the next 5 to 10 years have to be pretty good. And, sadly, the game just isn't going to mean as much as it has in the past.
Winning the playoff will mean more. And load management will become a thing, at least to some extent, even if that means risking a loss or two along the way.
That's true but also not applicable for another year. 2023 is still a 4 team playoff, and Michigan has next to no chance of being in the field without beating OSU. It's effectively a first round playoff game in and of itself for 1 more year.
Well shit we thought that was the case last year too. Osu was ranked higher and favored with that supposed extra motivation they had, and they still got bitch slapped at home. They lost their 1st round playoff game and STILL got into the playoff. It shouldnt have happened.
USC was punished for losing their extra game, just like Michigan would have been punished had they lost their game against Purdue, or Iowa the year before. Thats why the conference championship game is dangerous.
No respect for Rutgers?
Disrutpekt.
sparty stole all their axe body spray.
God how refreshing is it to hear this after so many years of hearing "Michigan cant compete at the highest level due to academics, and being in the cold north"? Even from our own fans.
This team seems like our best chance in my lifetime.
The 2006 team was right there too. Assuming you’re at least 17😉.
You were born in 97 no?
1994. But no one was really expecting the 1997 or 2006 teams to compete for a national title.
Platitudes for the masses. They need to practice being balanced, do a good job of taking what's being given and scouting b there opponents and not making bad matchup decision. We'll see.
Beat ECU!
What worries me here is that they are stating outcome goals, not process goals. Focus on the variables you have under your control and follow the course that got you here.
How do you know they don’t have process goals? I can go off the last couple years and I’ll guarantee they have process goals. This program finally has kids that work!
I don’t, but I hear no mention of them. It’s just one coaching philosophy, not saying it’s gospel…You are right, the hard work is evident, just don’t lose focus on what got you there with bright shiny trophies, those can be distracting in my experience. If you follow the process, the results you desire will follow.
Agreed. Stay humble, stay hungry, stay focused.
I would say the daily beat Ohio State and Georgia sessions would qualify as being process oriented.
I’m amazed at some thinking on here. Under Carr alls that was talked about was winning the B1G and fans went ape shit that their goal wasn’t a NC.
Now teams goal is a NC and people are worried about looking ahead.
The goal at Michigan should always be win the NC! I love it that these guys have that mentality