In his first season at the helm a year ago, Harbaugh went 10-3 (6-2 in the Big 10 East Division), and defeated the Florida Gators (much to my chagrin as a Gator fan) in the Citrus Bowl. Michigan finished last season ranked #12 in the country, and start 2016 seventh in the Associated Press poll, even earning a first-place vote.
Michigan is a 41-point favorite over Hawaii tomorrow in their 2016 season opener, but does it matter if they actually cover that spread?! The Wolverines return nine starters on offense (including All-American tight end Jake Butt), and six on defense (including All-American defensive back Jourdan Lewis). Both Butt and Lewis could have jumped to the NFL after last season, but decided to return to Ann Arbor. Perhaps they both wanted to stay for a chance to win a conference or national title. I believe no coach in the NFL would go to bat for them like Harbaugh will, so why would Butt and Jordan not want to stay another year?
The Wolverines are one of the favorites to win the Big 10 this season, and get into the College Football Playoff. Most importantly Harbaugh’s squad has a chance to break the four-year losing streak against Ohio State. In fact, the Buckeyes have won 13 of the last 17 meetings, and have hung 42 points on Michigan each of the last three years.
That should all come to an end by Christmas.
Harbaugh has said all the right things to get the media paying attention to his squad. When Harbaugh took his players to Florida for spring practices, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith accused Harbaugh of trying to “jump start” their program. Michigan has been playing football since 1897. The Buckeyes did not begin play until 1922. Since the AP National Championship was established in 1936, the Wolverines have a pair of AP National Championships (1948 and 1997). I do not think jump-starting a program that rich in tradition is necessary. Harbaugh fired back at Smith on Twitter back on March 23, by bringing up the “tattoos for cash” scandal that caused Ohio State to be ineligible for postseason play in 2012; and with it leaving a 12-0 team sitting home instead of having a chance to play for the National Championship.
Harbaugh has also managed to kick dirt on the shoes of Butch Jones at Tennessee, Nick Saban at Alabama, and Kirby Smart at Georgia over the satellite camps. The only one of the three that poses any real threat is Saban’s Crimson Tide, who Michigan could easily match up against after the calendar flips to January 2017. Whether it is Smart or Mark Richt at Georgia, the story remains the same…hot in the fall, but quickly turns ice cold once BCS rankings come out. The Volunteers showed the world last night against Appalachian State that you do not crown a champion in September; and they surely will not be in the conversation come November.
However, to get to January, the Wolverines have to get past the Buckeyes on November 26, in Columbus nonetheless. The Buckeyes return only three starters on each side of the ball. Ohio State has to go to Norman, Oklahoma to play the Sooners (September 17), then go to Wisconsin (October 15), and lastly to East Lansing in effort to break a losing streak against Michigan State (November 19). For the record, anyone who thinks that “Overrated State” deserves their preseason #6 ranking, I hope that you take advantage of the mental health coverage in your Obamacare plans, because there is certainly a call for a head examination in your immediate future. Someone was even mentally unstable enough to give Ohio State a first-place vote. After all, Buckeye honks always want to claim a portion of the 2012 National Championship they were ineligible for, and inducted Jim Tressel—the coach who turned a blind eye to more email than Hillary Clinton—into their Hall of Fame last year.
Much to Harbaugh’s credit, he puts the media scrutiny on himself, so as to deflect it from his players. If Michigan is going to return to glory, having your head coach follow the path of some of the current greats like Saban, Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Gary Patterson (TCU), and Dabo Sweeney (Clemson) is a great way to expand the success past the box score.
The two best teams in the country are still Clemson and Alabama, and you can decide among yourselves who deserves top billing. However, we know Michigan has little trouble driving out of their neighborhood to pick a fight.
-JC24