Two reasons why Michigan is 'different' heading into this year's College Football Playoff

No. 2 Michigan Wolverines football is headed to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season, slated to take on No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal Dec. 31.

The Maize and Blue have accomplished similar feats to the 2021 campaign — beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten championship and earning a berth to the four-team playoff. However, players have said the expectations are different than a season ago. According to FOX analyst Joel Klatt, too, the Wolverines are better equipped to win the national title than they were at this time last season. And that’s besides just playing TCU in the semifinal as opposed to Georgia, which won the national title a year ago, though Klatt admitted the Horned Frogs are a much better matchup.

“I do feel it’s different,” Klatt said on the ‘Ryen Russillo Podcast.’ “Now, how much different? I’m not sure. I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Oh, Michigan’s going to win the national championship.’ They would be at a deficit, and by the way, a fairly substantial deficit as far as talent goes, to Georgia. Georgia is the best team in the country. I’ve had them No. 1. I’ve had them No. 1 for a long time, and it’ll be an upset if they don’t win the national championship.

“Having said that, it is a little different this year in the Michigan potential matchup with Georgia, because they’re better in two areas — quarterback and defensive tackle. Those two areas are important.”

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The winner of the Peach Bowl between No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State will play Michigan or TCU for the championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

Klatt said Michigan is “different” in two different areas than a season ago. It starts with the defensive tackles.

“Their defensive tackles allow their defense to play base defense more often than what they would’ve a year ago, because they can build that run wall,” the analyst explained of the Michigan defense. “I’m talking about guys like [senior] Mazi Smith and [freshman] Mason Graham and [junior] Kris Jenkins. They make that defense stout up front. It allows those pass rushers to get going.

“They don’t have to dominate the game with their pass rushers like they did with [Aidan] Hutchinson and [David] Ojabo, which means that if they fall behind by a score or are playing a close game where they’re not forcing you to be one-dimensional offensively, they’re still OK. That’s No. 1.”

Michigan is much better against the run this season than last, ranking third nationally by allowing only 85.2 yards per game. Only five of 13 opponents have eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark. The Wolverines gave up 126.4 rushing yards per game in 2021.

The second area Klatt pointed to was sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy. His mobility is much better than that of Cade McNamara, who opened all 14 contests in 2021, allowing him to extend plays as both a runner and outside-the-pocket thrower.

According to Sports Info Solutions, 34 of McCarthy’s 188 completions and 51 of his 288 attempts have come while he’s both on the move and outside the pocket. He averages 9.6 yards per attempt on such throws, which ranks seventh in the nation overall and first among those with 50-plus attempts.

“We know what they are running the football, regardless of if it’s [junior] Blake Corum or [sophomore] Donovan Edwards,” Klatt said. “But there’s now this element where J.J. McCarthy has this extra gear, where he can create if the play breaks down and he’s outside of the pocket. He can create down the field, and I don’t think that they had that a year ago. 

“Put very simply, they were being outplayed against Ohio State — and by the way, somewhat severely, in the first half — but they had a quarterback who could raise his level and the offense’s level to the point that they weren’t being blown out. They didn’t have a two-score deficit, and he was really the factor in that. So, as well as Ohio State played in the first half, you’re sitting there and it’s still a close game because of the quarterback. 

“So those are the two reasons why I think it’s a little bit different. Now, is that going to pay off to a win or a national championship? I’m not sure. But I do think they’re more suited or better suited for the playoff this year or last.”