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Michigan Football Perspective: How Recent Year 3’s Have Gone

By Tyler Fenwick

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing the Wisconson Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing the Wisconson Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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It would take something disastrous in 2017 for Michigan football to come close to previous coaches’ year three experiences, so be thankful for that.

There has been a lot of speculation this offseason that if Michigan football can’t put together some kind of promising 2017 campaign, fans may start to become restless as they expect more from their Wolverines.

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In all honesty, I think it’s fair for people to expect big things from Michigan. As fans, we’ve been through the grinder more than once in the last decade, and it feels like it’s time to take another step up in the world.

At the same time, though, it’s important to keep things in perspective and realize just how good things are right now.

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Back in 2010, Rich Rodriguez was in his third and final year of coaching at Michigan. The Wolverines got off to a promising 5-0 start, but losing five of the final seven games left Rodriguez with potentially one chance left to save his job in a bowl game.

Michigan lost 52-14 to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.

As you surely remember (and try to forget) the defense was terrible. The Wolverines ranked No. 108 in scoring defense, surrendering 35.2 points per game, and No. 110 in total defense, giving up 450.7 yards per game.

Flash forward to 2013, and Brady Hoke was working in his third season. The program was coming off of an 8-5 season that had plenty of excuses being thrown in its wake, and then the 2013 season signaled the beginning of the end for Hoke.

Just like in Rodriguez’s third season, Michigan sprinted out to a 5-0 start, though it did include four-point and three-point wins over Akron and Connecticut, respectively, in consecutive weeks. But, once again, the Wolverines stumbled down the stretch and only won two more games against Indiana and Northwestern.

That 2013 team had the exact opposite problem that the 2010 team had: a defense that was doing everything and an offense that couldn’t move the ball on a team of teething toddlers.

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So as Michigan gears up for another year three, this one under Jim Harbaugh, it’s critical to contextualize whatever results lay ahead. For example, it the Wolverines do get sort of upended this season and finish 8-4, we can certainly be disappointed for what it is, but we can also recognize that Michigan is in a completely different place than it was in 2010 and 2013.

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