5 Questions facing Michigan football in Week 1

How will Cade McNamara look in his tryout game?

Obviously, this is the biggest elephant in the room, and will be the most talked-about, watched, and analyzed position on the field for Game 1 and Game 2.

Cade McNamara has given everything to the University of Michigan, and has been a rock solid QB throughout his whole career, but can he fend off the young blood superstar underclassman in JJ McCarthy?

That will be the key. Also, will Michigan throw the ball 50-60 times to let Cade show off his skills? About how many snaps will JJ get during Cade’s showcase?

How long will all of the starters remain in the game with Cade? Will Cade actually play the entire game from beginning to end or get pulled when Michigan goes up by 35+ points? How is Cade’s mental state and emotional state on Saturday when he knows there’s a chance he might not start after Game 1?

I love the idea of this, as I’m sure a lot of people do, but there are a lot more questions than answers that need to be figured out, and I’m not so sure just one game a piece against a massively inferior opponent can answer all of these questions. Does beating up on a bad team really tell us all that much about who should start?

The only issue I have with this is it sets JJ McCarthy up for a winner-take-all game. Cade gets a Noon game to showcase his talents, but JJ gets a night game under the lights in front of a sold-out crowd to showcase his abilities. Plus, it’s the last game, so it leaves lasting impressions.

The last question I have is: Why did Jim Harbaugh give Cade, Week 1 and JJ, Week 2? Was there a hidden motive behind those decisions or was it just completely random and innocent?