J.D. PicKell: Revealing what 'woke people up' on Michigan football

In two short years, Michigan went from perennial underdog in the annual rivalry game with Ohio State to in complete command of the series right now. The Wolverines finally pulled off a win against OSU in 2021 and then confirmed they were here to stay by beating the doors off of them in Columbus this past fall.

According to On3’s JD PicKell, it was that win in 2022 over Ohio State that really punctuated Michigan’s re-emergence to the center spotlight in college football. More so than just the win and final score, PicKell thinks the way in which UM dominated the game, with such strong quarterback play, was eye-opening for a lot of college football fans and analysts nationally.

So watch here on the On3 YouTube Channel or read further below why PicKell believes JJ McCarthy’s performance against OSU is was the true breakthrough moment for this era of the Michigan program:

JD PicKell details moment when Michigan woke everyone up in 2022

“Quite frankly, we were there saw, it firsthand and it was an absolute, just dominant performance by Michigan, especially in that second half. And yes they did what they wanted to do on the scoreboard but that wasn’t really what woke people up.

“What woke people up was seeing JJ McCarthy go for 260+ and three touchdowns and also run one in. It was JJ McCarthy adding that other element to the offense to where it’s saying…okay, you can play like a bowling ball and you can throw it over their heads. Michigan’s a problem now. Michigan’s really someone that people are concerned about.

“And again, the people in Ann Arbor, you already knew that, I understand that, but that was when the rest of the country really got to get a picture for it. Because going into that game against Ohio State, Michigan was not favored. It was in Columbus and all that, but going into that game, you still felt like, man, did they miss what happened in Ann Arbor last year?

“We won’t get too much into that, but that was the moment, in my mind at least, and that was the thing that got a lot of people viewing Michigan differently. And again, that’s JJ McCarthy opening up the offense.”

With McCarthy back in the fold and the roster just as loaded as it has been the last couple years, the Wolverines are gearing up for another run at the College Football Playoff.