What types of numbers have CFP-winning QBs put up in recent years? Here's what Michigan might need from J.J. McCarthy

Michigan football’s aspirations to win a national title could very well come down to what it gets from the quarterback position. The Wolverines have one of the best in college football with junior J.J. McCarthy and with a step forward in his game this season, the program might find ways to reach even bigger heights.

McCarthy started the final 13 games of the season for Michigan, throwing for 2,719 yards with 22 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and 70 rushes for 306 yards and 5 scores. But would those types of numbers be enough to win it all?

Here’s how CFP-winning QBs have fared over the course of a season since 2015.

Jake Coker (Alabama, 2015) – 3,110 Yds, 21 TD, 8 INT

Coker was able to quarterback Alabama to a national title in 2015, but much of the team’s success was due to Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry, who ran for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns of his own. He darn near put up quarterback numbers on his own.

Deshaun Watson (Clemson, 2016) – 4,593 Yds, 41 TD, 17 INT

Watson put up big numbers during his final collegiate season but also threw quite a few interceptions. Sometimes that is the risk-reward that comes with pushing the ball through the air.

Jalen Hurts/Tua Tagavailoa (Alabama, 2017) – 2,717, 28 TD, 3 INT

Hurts threw for 2,801 yards, 17 touchdowns and an interception in 2017, but Alabama turned it over to a true freshman in Tagavailoa in the national title game. It was one of the weirder Crimson Tide teams of recent history that pieced Hurts, Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough, Najee Harris,Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson Jr. together to lead a strong rushing attack. When you run as well as they did, quarterback play needs to be efficient. And it more than was.

Trevor Lawrence (Clemson, 2018) – 3,280, 30 TD, 4 INT

Lawrence put up nice numbers as a true freshman, but what was most impressive was his ability to limit turnovers. He looked the part from the moment he supplanted Kelly Bryant.

Joe Burrow (LSU, 2019) – 5,671, 60 TD, 6 INT

Perhaps the greatest individual season in college football history came out of nowhere. No national title-winning QB has even come close to putting up these numbers. It might not happen again, either. That’s what happens when a receiving corps includes Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall Jr.

Mac Jones (Alabama, 2020) – 4,500, 41 TD, 4 INT

The 2020 ‘Bama offense was loaded with Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and John Metchie at wide receiver with Najee Harris at running back. It allowed the Crimson Tide quarterback to put up some video game-like numbers throughout the COVID-impacted season.

Stetson Bennett (Georgia, 2021) – 2,862, 29 TD, 7 INT

It took some time for Bennett to finally emerge as QB1, but he helmed a Bulldog squad with an all-time great defense to a title.

Stetson Bennett (Georgia, 2022) – 4,128, 27 TD, 7 INT

Bennett’s Cinderella story extended into the 2022 season, leading the Bulldogs to another national title as its unquestioned starter.

What Michigan expects from McCarthy

Michigan might not need much more from McCarthy to stay in the title conversation, but it has thought about what more it can do to unlock his skillset. Now that he has starting playoff experience, U-M thinks the best is yet to come.

“Well, it’s a really good question,” head coach Harbaugh said this spring. “And something I’ve really thought about. I look at J.J.’s first whole first season as a starter and all the things he faced. Good, bad, cheered, booed. Hit run, throw — everything he did, it’s about as good as you could be. As a first-year starter, no question about it. I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything — I haven’t seen anything like that, first-year starting quarterback. 13-0 on Christmas and we’ve never been undefeated at Christmas. And then I call that a season for him.

“The TCU game in itself I think was practically like a whole season of experience. Because of all the things that happened. Behind, come back, really behind, come back, really good. Every up-down hit. He was just in so many football situations in that game, it was almost like a whole season. So it was really good.

“This program has become like — good. OK, we lost that game, but it drives us, it makes us even more hungry. Something else comes up — good. We’ll work on that, we’ll fix that.”