As established in saturday-psycho-stay-or-go the key difference in the 2021 UofM football team compared to the last few years is leadership. And around here, leaders are best ...look it up.

So with that in mind I say:

There is no way Cade McNamara shouldn't be listed, and/or expected as the starter for every game on the schedule as long as the team is undefeated.

And any clown who thinks differently is just helping to create a QB controversy that shouldn't exist.

I get it; JJ McCarthy is Dyno-mite:

And when he's out there, there's always a chance for something electric to happen, he's got IT and I won't argue that, But the TEAM(3x) is riding an undefeated season, based a lot on the unity in the locker room, why would a fan want to risk upsetting that? And saying that, I hope the staff is preparing JJ to be ready to start every game and I hope he sees plenty of snaps at meaningful times to get him ready. I'll be so stoked when it's his time. But to think his time is NOW, is pure lunacy.

I get it, he's a 5* legit! but which one of those stars means he's ready to win rivalry road games in his first couple starts? Which one means he won't thrown an interception in his first 150 passes? Is he ready for a "whiteout"?

This is pure Hubris.

Considering the concept is based solely on unverifiable speculation: "JJ can do, even though we haven't seen it, what Cade can't do BECAUSE we haven't seen it." I'm sure there's a logical fallacy in there somewhere.

Not to mention, we are heading into a stretch that is a nightmare for an experienced QB: @MSU with magical little brother pixie dust spread all around, and @psu in a possible "whiteout". Whiteout has humbled plenty of 5* QBs, especially Hackenburg and that was PSU's QB!, hAHa

Sometimes it's not a golden arm that you need to QB your team to victory, for road games, especially  cornfields in October or "whieouts" in november, it takes excellent decision making and balls of Iron, and we haven't even seen JJ in a skillet yet.

While Cade has come from 17 down on the road after being thrown in in the 2qtr, won in Wisconsin and won in Nebraska after giving up the lead on points off turnover, his FIRST

But "wait a minute", you say "what about Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence .....CALEB WILLIAMS!". "Great teams play there 5* QBs early."

Trevor followed Bryant, Watson and Boyd; Caleb followed Rattler, Hurts, Murray and Mayfield. Cade followed Milton and Paterson. You can drop a true freshman 5* into a well oiled offensive machine and expect results, this UofM team isn't there yet. But just like Tua, JJ is there ready to go out and "be the hero" if he has to, no matter how late in the season you call his name.

But even than, the results are mixed with 5* freshmen in the first starts, even golden boy Trevor Lawrence didn't put up numbers much different than Cade's in his first year:

And Trevor threw his 2nd pick within his first 60 passes.

Cade actually is trending a lot like Joe Burrow did in his first starts at LSU:

We might have the best of both possible worlds:

a young 5* with the ability to step in and make all the plays,

but more importantly, an experienced leader that makes those around him better.

That to me is the one thing most seem to be missing: Cade might not have shown what the team needs for him to win the big games YET but, as of now, the team around the QB isn't really ready to make the most out of a 5* arm and Cade has the leadership to get them there sooner.

Northwestern Game:

Don't normally "predict" much these days, since we live in unpredictable times, but I'm guessing:

UofM: 46

NW: 12

My reasoning is that this team is twice as good offensively and half as good defensively as the last #6th ranked team that played at home against Northwestern, and that team went on to close the season well. Upvote to those who know the team.