A year ago, Ohio State quarterback used a strong performance against Georgia in the Playoff semifinals to answer some of the pre-draft questions teams may have had of him, which propped up his bid to be the second quarterback taken, by the , in the 2023 .Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy can use the stage against Alabama to create his own positive momentum.The Ray Guy Jersey Illinois native had the second-highest completion percentage (74.2%) in behind Oregon's Bo Nix. He was particularly effective in the short to intermediate levels, so teams that sit back in zone coverage will be picked apart. He is not a twitchy athlete, but he does a good job of maneuvering in the pocket to find clear pa sing lanes.McCarthy has thrown for 250-plus yards on four occasions Bo Jackson Jersey this season: two such occasions were against Power 5 competition, and the average margin of victory in those four contests was 33.0 points. In three games against opponents ranked in the top 25 at season's end, McCarthy averaged 118.3 pa sing yards.The Wolverines get Alabama first. The Crimson Tide have allowed 313.3 yards per game this season, which is the 17th fewest. They are allowing 124.5 rushing yards per game, and Michigan has skewed run (61% run, 39% pa s) in 2023. It will be Denzel Perryman Jersey important for the Michigan offense to get an early lead so it can shorten the game and lean on that productive run game. If the Wolverines fall behind early, can McCarthy become the reason they're able to keep it close or even win? want to see him take ownership and lead his team to victory. The offensive line is allowing pre sure in 2.56 seconds, which is No. 37 in college football, according to TruMedia. Alabama's pa s rush ranks No. 75 in time to pre sure. He should have time to operate, but will he Theo Riddick Jersey be able to exploit a Nick Saban secondary that features future talent Malachi Moore, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold.Does he have the arm strength to stre s his SEC opponent down the field?The semifinals begin at 5 p.m. ET on New Year's Day. If Cliff Branch Jersey Michigan were to advance, it would get the winner of Washington and Texas.McCarthy is currently and the fourth-highest rated quarterback behind USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels. Williams is not going to be dethroned as the top available quarterback prospect in my opinion. Can McCarthy establish himself as the No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback prospect in the cla s, however? It could be a difference of $20 million over a four-year period.