Michigan’s Brightside
Those who stayed, champions.
I’ve been taking some time off from writing — at least in public — whilst I gear up to launch Spyglass (soon). But I simply couldn’t let one momentous occasion pass without acknowledgement: the Michigan Wolverines are officially the champions of college football.
Perhaps it’s because I had to stay up until 5am local time here in London to witness it a few nights ago — heading to a bar well after 12am, something I hadn’t done in over 20 years, probably since I was in school at Michigan — but I still can’t quite bring myself to believe it happened. I’ve spent the better part of the past few days re-watching the highlights and pretty much every post-game clip to try to wrap my brain around it. I’m still not there. So perhaps writing about it will help.
I’ve written a lot about Michigan over the years. With my mood going from excitement to frustration to despair to euphoria. Jim Harbaugh was the savior… and then he wasn’t… until he was. It has been a roller coaster ride for this team ever since I left college all those years ago. And somehow they managed to ascend now higher than I was able to witness back then. To a place not seen since just before my time at school, to a place even before Tom Brady was the starter, to the last national championship in 1997. And even that one was split; this one leaves no doubt.
Well, there are doubts from some, perhaps even many — “jealousy…” because of the various silly scandals surrounding the program. But those are clearly bullshit. Post-Signgate, Michigan not only kept winning, they got better. They ended their season beating #10 Penn State in their stadium, then avoiding the obvious pre-Ohio State trap game by beating Maryland on the road, and then it was said main rival beaten for a third straight year — something which seemed literally impossible just a few years ago, for well over a decade. They did all of this without Jim Harbaugh. As he was suspended. For a second time this season.
Then it was a dismantling of Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. And then the boogeyman of college football — the man a mere one letter removed from the devil, Nick Saban. It took overtime to do it, but it probably shouldn’t have.¹ Michigan utterly dominated the first half of that game against the SEC Champs. And then the grand finale, a three touchdown win against the undefeated Washington Huskies. It was close until the fourth quarter, but also probably shouldn’t have been. There was never a doubt who the better team was on all sides of the ball that night.
15–0. Despite six games without their head coach. An utterly dominant team all year and the stats don’t lie, and some are just bonkers.
I fully expect Harbaugh to leave for the NFL next year. Beyond this accomplishment, the NCAA is giving him every incentive to move on — from the threat of more suspensions, to what seems to be the hardest schedule in college football next year: Texas, USC, Washington (at their place, this time), Oregon, and then the date in Columbus where Ryan Day will be coaching for his life.
Not that Harbaugh would shy away from any of that — it’s just that this championship gives him the perfect cherry and the clear path to go out on top. Made perhaps even easier, oddly, because of said suspensions this year, which gave a chance for the other coaches on his staff to shine. And offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore in particular did just that. It will be hard and perhaps impossible to keep defensive coordinator Jesse Minter around next year after the incredible year he just minted without giving him the head coaching role, but it’s also clearly Moore’s job if he wants it. I mean, he’s 1–0 against Ohio State already.
And nether I nor anyone else could begrudge Harbaugh for leaving. Like LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after delivering the title. It will be simply: Jim, thank you.
How often do you hear a player or group of players say they’re coming back to settle some “unfinished business”? Often. How often do they actually do it? Almost never. But that’s exactly what Blake Corum and company did this year. It’s incredible. As if destiny was calling them. And they answered.
What a team. What a coach. What a year. #GoBlue
¹ And did they drive him into retirement?! I can’t believe this is the final play ever that Saban was a part of…
