Why Michigan Is Destined to Win the 2023 National Championship
Ann Arbor, Michigan (PSF) - The University of Michigan football program is the winningest team in NCAA Division one history with 989 wins. Although the Wolverines haven’t won a national championship since 1997. That is destined to change in 2023 as the Wolverines have all the pieces to win a national championship.
Over the past 25 seasons without a championship the Wolverines, outside of some outlier seasons such as the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season, have stayed competitive even participating in the last two College Football Playoffs. But, all of these teams have fallen short in the biggest moments.
Most of the time the Wolverines would hit a wall playing their ultimate rival Ohio State. From 2004-2010, the Wolverines lost “The Game” usually in blowout fashion. Then from 2012-2019 the Wolverines went through another drought of losing to Ohio State. The Wolverines had one win over Ohio State in 15 seasons.
The most tragic of those being 2016’s version of “The Game”, when the Buckeyes and Wolverines met in Ohio Stadium ranked number two and three in the country respectively. Essentially the winner of this game is guaranteed a spot in the CFP and with the Wolverines having their best shot at a national title chance in a decade they were desperate to get over the Ohio sized hurdle. In one of the greatest games of the historic rivalry and College Football history the Wolverines would fall to the Buckeyes, 30-27 in double overtime.
In 2021, the Wolverines bashed through that Ohio sized hurdle in The Big House in dramatic fashion winning 42-27, in a game in which Michigan rushed for 297 yards. Elated to get past their hated rival, the Wolverines seemed destined for the National Championship; and then they ran into Georgia. The Bulldogs embarrassed the Wolverines in the Orange Bowl in the Semifinal of the CFP, 34-11. Georgia was just bigger, stronger, and faster than the Wolverines and the eventual National Champions cruised to victory in Miami. Although the outcome wasn’t what Michigan wanted, the foundation had been set for championship level football in Ann Arbor.
To start the 2022 season there were questions surrounding Michigan. Who would be the starting quarterback Cade McNamara or JJ McCarthy? How would the defense adjust to such turnover from the previous season losing First Team All-American Aidan Hutchison and their coordinator to the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL? Luckily the Wolverines had a favorable non-conference schedule to sort things out, as the defense rounded into form and J.J. McCarthy grabbed hold of the quarterback job, and running back Blake Corum emerged as a Heisman Candidate. The Wolverines moved into Big Ten play were they would roll over all opponents leading to another winner take all version of “The Game”, this time in Ohio Stadium where the Wolverines had not won since 2000.
The game was very back and forth in the first half with the Wolverines trailing 20-17 at halftime. The Wolverines came out firing in the second half outscoring the Buckeyes 28-3. J.J. McCarthy was a star of the game with 12 completions on 24 attempts for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Sophomore standout Donovan Edwards also rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns of 50 plus yards, in place for an injured Blake Corum.
The Wolverines would steamroll the Purdue Boilermakers to claim their second consecutive Big Ten title and now had a chance to advance to the national championship game in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas Christian University. The Wolverines would lose a shootout of a game against the Horned Frogs, 51-45. The Wolverines simply made too many mistakes to win the game as J.J. McCarthy threw two interceptions and had a critical fumble on the one yard line in the second quarter.
This all leads us up to now. The Wolverines are loaded from a talent perspective with Blake Corum returning, three out of five starters returning from the Joe Moore winning offensive line in 2022 (annually given to the best offensive line in College Football), an elite ascending sophomore cornerback in Will Johnson along with a defense with returning six of 11 starters from 2022. The Wolverines are hungry for a national title after getting a taste of the CFP the last two years and they have the players capable of winning it all. The Wolverines have the confidence, going 26-2 the last two seasons combined the team understands that they are elite and that they can beat Ohio State, and they can win a Big Ten title, and they can win a national title. Michigan also has an elite coaching staff headed up by Jim Harbaugh who will lead the Wolverines where they want to go.
All of the pieces are in place in Ann Arbor to make a run at the programs first National Championship since 1997. They are a veteran team and in the words of the great Michigan Head Coach Bo Schembecler “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions”.
