Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy shares 1A, 1B goals for season

J.J. McCarthy is preparing for his second season serving as the starting quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines and understands the program's top two objectives heading into September. 

"My 1A goal is bring a national championship to Ann Arbor; 1B is to never lose to [the rival Ohio State Buckeyes]," McCarthy told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN for a piece published Tuesday. "That will mean a lot to me. From the guys that play scout team to the guys that are touching the ball every play, we have to be our best at all times. That's not always going to look pretty, but we just got to keep pushing, keep pushing and growing in every aspect, and we'll be where we want to be by Nov. 25."

Michigan hosts Ohio State in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25 in the last scheduled regular-season game for both programs. As of Tuesday evening, OddsChecker listed Ohio State as the betting favorite at +180 odds to win the Big Ten title. Michigan was second at +200, followed by the Penn State Nittany Lions at +600. 

The Wolverines notched double-digit victories over the Buckeyes in each of the past two seasons, and those contests caused some Ohio State fans to question if the school should move on from head coach Ryan Day. 

Day recently acknowledged it's expected his team will "win the rivalry game, win the Big Ten and win the national championship" each year, but McCarthy should have plenty to say about that this fall. 

McCarthy tossed three touchdown passes and rushed for a score in Michigan's 45-23 win over Ohio State last November. He then had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the 51-45 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff semifinal. 

"... It was all in my hands," McCarthy said of the defeat against TCU. "It was obviously a team effort, but I was in the driver's seat. It's a whole different pain that I've felt, and one that's still driving me today."

Michigan president Santa Ono noted how McCarthy stayed on the field long enough to watch TCU's victory celebrations on New Year's Eve and how both the signal-caller and the program "really want" to follow a future win over Ohio State with a national championship. 

"I have a lot of goals, we have a lot of goals, but [the ultimate goal is] to bring a national championship to Ann Arbor," McCarthy added during the conversation. "We're just so close."

The Wolverines will officially begin pursuing those goals when they open the 2023 season against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 2.