Michigan Finally Silenced the Haters
There were plenty of casual dismissals of the Michigan Wolverines football team all season despite their being ranked at the top of most analytics-based power rankings. Anonymous Big Ten coaches were quoted by Bruce Feldman in The Athletic in the build-up to the College Football Playoffs where they predicted an easy Alabama victory. It was funny how these coaches know more about the intricacies of the Crimson Tide than they do the Wolverines considering Michigan had won 24 games in a row in conference play. There were a lot of haters in the Big Ten against Jim Harbaugh right now — epitomized by the moral panic surrounding the pending investigation regarding overzealous sign decoding schemes (every football team attempts to “steal” signs — and it is mostly a legal practice). Any doubt that the Wolverines' recent success was due to an illegal or unethical theft of inside information was debunked in November when they soundly defeated Penn State and Ohio State. Critics downplay their strength of schedule — but the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are widely considered two of the top-ten teams in the nation and the Iowa team they beat in the Big Ten Championship Game had the best statistical defense in the nation. Granted, the Michigan passing game was not nearly as explosive at the end of the season with the Wolverines not passing for more than 147 yards in four straight games — but that was simply a whine about style points. With offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore serving as the interim head coach in three of those games, Michigan stuck to what was working with a methodical rushing attack that protected their lead. Only throwing the ball eight times against Penn State but still winning on the road by nine points should have been seen as a sign of utter domination. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was dealing with some nagging injuries in those games so not exposing him to more hits was a way to help set up their playoff run. In the game against Maryland before the showdown with the Buckeyes, McCarthy’s foot injury kept him from planting his foot to throw the football. Still, the Wolverines scored more points against Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa than any other opponent — those are all top-ten defenses in the nation. Critics also referenced Michigan’s six-game losing streak in bowl games. The loss in the playoffs against Georgia two years ago was not unexpected — but last year’s loss to TCU was reflective of an arrogant offensive game plan that was compounded by McCarthy throwing two pick-sixes. The other four bowl game losses mean next to nothing since they were pre-COVID and during a period when Harbaugh began using lesser-tiered bowl games as the audition for the upcoming season. Three straight victories against Ohio State should have demonstrated that Harbaugh could prepare his team for big games. Michigan was been the most consistent team in the country going into the playoffs. While they want to win behind their dominant offensive line and two-headed monster of running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, McCarthy has demonstrated he can win games with his arm and with his mobility. The Wolverines' defense was elite after allowing only 239.8 total Yards-Per-Game and 9.5 Points-Per-Game. Harbaugh claimed there are at least 17 players on the roster who will be drafted into the NFL in April. While Michigan does not recruit at the level of Alabama, their player development takes a back seat to no program. Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck declared that this Michigan team may be the best college team he had ever coached against after playing them earlier in the season. He must not have been one of the rival conference coaches contacted by Feldman. Heading into the playoffs, I considered the notion of SEC dominance already dead in the NIL and transfer portal era. What was Georgia’s best win this season? What was Alabama’s second-best win? Were they being elevated because of legacy? Granted, the same can be said about Michigan and Ohio State — and that is where laptops came in which generally projected the Wolverines as a bigger favorite against Alabama than the market’s betting line. The Buckeyes might have outplayed Georgia in the semifinals last year (and won that game if Marvin Harrison does not get injured). Michigan dominated the Crimson Tide in the first half of their Semifinal showdown but only went into halftime with a 13-10 lead. Special teams mishaps plagued the Wolverines from taking a larger lead. Alabama turned the tables in the third quarter to take control of the game — but McCarthy engineered a late fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime where Michigan scored the opening touchdown before stopping the Crimson Tide on downs to win the game. When the game was on the line, the Wolverines beat Alabama at the point of attack at the line of scrimmage and demonstrated more speed than the team with all the blue-chip five-star players. Michigan took their 27-20 victory into the National Championship Game against Washington. Once again, the betting public and many of the “sharps” were on the Huskies — especially with them getting 4.5 or more points and above the key number of 4. I committed to the Wolverines in our College Football Game of the Year. Michigan controlled the game and pulled away with a 34-13 victory and their first national championship in the BCS era. But the rival Big Ten coaches may have received their ultimate wish with Harbaugh deciding to return to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. Now Harbaugh is not only out of the Big Ten, but perhaps the most vocal head coach in football regarding paying college athletes is no longer in the NCAA. In hindsight, the personal motivations critics had in downplaying this year’s Michigan team may offer the best explanation of their words. Best of luck — Frank.
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