For the first time since 1997, the Michigan Wolverines are college football’s national champions.
Michigan took an early lead over Washington last night in Houston and stayed ahead the rest of the way. The final score was 34-13.
Michigan Radio sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about Monday night's championship game.
Doug Tribou: Before we dig into the details of the game, let's just get your initial reactions to Michigan's performance Monday night.
John U. Bacon: Well, it wasn't always pretty, but it was dominant. They were clearly the better team. They had a few chances, three or four chances, to throw a knockout punch, in the second or third quarter. It was not all that close a game for most of it. And I don't think anybody can debate that Michigan is the best team in the country.
DT: The Wolverines ran for more than 300 yards. Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum each had more than 100, and both of them had two touchdowns. But Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a quiet night, 10-18 passing for just 140 yards. He did have a key run in the second half. What did you make of his performance?
"It wasn't always pretty, but it was dominant."John U. Bacon on Michigan's 34-13 win over Washington
JUB: Well, it wasn't his best. Missed some wide open receivers. Didn't run until the late in the game, but it was a key run. But he has done one thing he could not do two years ago when he was a backup to Cade McNamara. He'd have great plays and then bad decisions and cost them turnovers. He doesn't do that anymore. No turnovers, so he never cost them anything. And he manages the game very well. And look, the man's got one loss in his entire career (as starting quarterback) in two years. I guess that's pretty good.
DT: McCarthy's a junior. So he could come back next season. Do you expect him to return to Ann Arbor or take his chances in the NFL draft?
JUB: Well, most folks say he's going to go to the NFL, but I am not so sure, for a few reasons. One, he's not yet an elite quarterback, so he could do another year of college football, get better, and get more money in the NFL.
Two, thanks to NIL, which is name, image and likeness — a new program where college players can get paid while in college, that guy can make $2 or 3 million next year. I'm not kidding you.
And then on top of that, (Michigan coach) Jim Harbaugh, if he stays at Michigan, that's a very good reason for J.J. McCarthy to stay as well. Those guys are very close.
DT: Monday morning, we talked about Michigan's biggest challenge: containing Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who had a fantastic season with more than 4,600 yards passing and 35 touchdowns coming into Monday night. But in Houston, he struggled. He missed some key throws that could have given Washington a chance. What did you see in Penix's performance?
JUB: Well, part of that was Michigan's performance. The defensive line did a phenomenal job. We talked about that as well. Could they get around the best offensive line in the country? That offensive line won the award as the top offensive line. And (Michigan) did.
It was not the same as Alabama, it was not (six) sacks. But at the end of the game, you could clearly see that Penix's ribs — he had had a hell of a night — and he was feeling it. And when you put that kind of pressure on, you start making small mistakes. That was partly Michigan and partly Penix not (at) his best. And that was the difference, really, last night.
DT: He was clearly in pain late in the game last night. Hopefully he heals up. An exciting player, hope to see him in the NFL. His college career ended Monday night.
On social media, during the game and afterwards, you declared this Michigan football team to be the best in the program's long history. What sets this group apart, in your view?
Calling it now: the greatest team in Michigan history. https://t.co/Vd9gsWQKkH
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) January 9, 2024
JUB: Well, of course, first of all, it's a fool's game. And I played it, which is to compare a car from 1901, to a car from 2023. Well, the Model A was first. So it's pretty cool. So, you know, there's that. (laughs)
1901: They're 11-0 and 550 points for (Michigan) and 0 against.
1948: They're national champs, undefeated.
1998 (1997 season ending with 1998 Rose Bowl): national champs, undefeated.
But this team, a few things: One, they've won 15 games. Only three teams in the modern era have won 15 games. 15-0. That's pretty impressive. Second of all, in the last six games, they played five teams in the top 16. I guarantee you in 1901, they didn't do that. Or 1948.
They also got to play a Big Ten title game. They got to play a two-game playoff. None of that was true in the previous championship years for Michigan. And the competition generally? I mean, who are you playing? They're playing a great team in Alabama, a great team in Washington, a great team at Ohio State. There are great teams nationwide now, and the margins are nothing. So this, I think, really was Michigan's all time greatest team.
DT: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended twice this season for a total of six games. The NCAA still has open investigations into both recruiting and sign stealing allegations against the team. What are the chances that those investigations could lead the NCAA to nullify some of the team's successes in the past few years, including Monday night's championship win?
JUB: Well, Doug, speaking of a fool's game, predicting what the NCAA might do. (Laughs) And I'm going to play that game, too. Why not?
One, they could do anything, and who knows? It could be anything from a financial fine, to (cutting) scholarships, to nullifying victories, and even a national title. But two things happened because of this great run for Michigan in the last three months since they announced the "Signgate" scandal was being investigated.
One, by winning all these games, they've basically diminished the argument that Michigan can only win by cheating through the Signgate scandal and so on. The last, whatever, seven or eight games are all when everyone knew what was going on. So it couldn't be signals.
Second thing shouldn't matter, but it will because this is the NCAA. That is a political organization. They stick their finger in the wind. It shouldn't matter, but it does. They do not like vacating championships because then everyone looks stupid and it costs them money, on top of that, because now people care less about the national title. So, it shouldn't matter. But it will.
DT: John, a national championship was the last big unchecked box for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He has coached in the NFL before and flirted with the idea again during his tenure in Ann Arbor. You alluded to the big question earlier. Do you expect him to be back with the Wolverines next season?
JUB: Doggone it, Doug. Here's my third fool's game in a very short segment, I might add. (Laughs)
Right now, nobody knows anything. And I'm as piped in, probably, as any reporter out there on that front. I would say it's 50-50, really. I would say, if anything, it'll be the L.A. Chargers in the NFL. Mr. (Dean) Spanos, the billionaire owner, is very interested in Harbaugh, so expect a bid to come from there.
But Michigan's put (together) a very competitive contract. And look, he likes a whole lot about Ann Arbor, including the fact that his parents live right next door to him. And I've seen the pathway that the grandkids walk down to see Papa and Mama. So there's a lot of reasons to stay in Ann Arbor, including, by the way — you might know this — they just won a national title.
DT: (Laughs) Well, John, thanks a lot.
JUB: Thank you, Doug.
Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview near the top of this page.
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