JJ McCarthy describes Michigan season as 'beautiful rollercoaster' ahead of CFP semifinals

J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines finished 13-0 as Big Ten champions going into the College Football Playoff. But the star quarterback had a curious term to describe the team’s unbeaten campaign in 2022. He did not take over fully as the starter until a few games into the year, replacing Cade McNamara who recently announced his intentions to transfer to Iowa. The No. 2 Wolverines take on No. 3 TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl and McCarthy summed up the journey.

“It’s been a rollercoaster, but it’s been a beautiful rollercoaster,” McCarthy said, via The Wolverine. “It’s just been so much fun and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of guys.”

This season, McCarthy has 2,376 yards, 20 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 65.3% completion percentage. He also has 254 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Michigan fell to Georgia 34-11 in last year’s semifinals as McNamara and McCarthy threw for a combined 18-of-36 passing for 237 yards, one touchdown and two picks.

“The memory bank was kind of in the feeling that I had and I can still feel that feeling even today,” McCarthy said of last year’s playoff loss. “It’s just something where I wanted to soak up all of that emotion I was feeling and use it to drive me through the offseason and get to moments like this coming up. It was more of that feeling of regret and feeling that there was something I could’ve done more, or if there was more work I could put in during the offseason and just making sure I don’t have that feeling of regret going into this game and the following game.”

There could be more on the shoulders of McCarthy going into the semifinals without running back Blake Corum. Donovan Edwards made sure to control things on the ground against Purdue in the Big Ten title game, running for 185 yards and a touchdown. McCarthy was solid, going 11-of-17 passing for 161 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the 43-22 win.

TCU lost to Kansas State 31-28 in overtime of the Big 12 Championship, falling to 12-1 on the season, but remained in the No. 3 spot for the playoff committee, making the final four for the first time in school history.

Michigan opened as a nine-point favorite over TCU, according to Caesars Sportsbook. In the other CFP semifinal, Georgia is a seven-point favorite over Ohio State.