Michigan Football: Grading the Wolverines post Wisconsin disaster

Michigan football suffered its first loss on Saturday against a much better prepared Wisconsin Badger team. What went wrong?

While the following story doesn’t initially have anything to do with Michigan football,  in the end, the connection will become clear.

About a month ago, I was told I had a torn meniscus. It was devastating. As an avid runner, I look forward to hitting the road after work and on the weekends to enjoy the fresh air and to escape reality for about an hour.

I tried to reflect on the past to determine how this happened to me. I remember the day it started hurting but not exactly what caused it. From watching countless football replays, I know how the injury typically occurs, but I don’t recall a single moment in my life that matched what I saw.

All I wanted to do was blame my knee for its inability to keep up with the everyday punishment it endured as a member of my body. And then it hit me, I can’t blame my knee when I didn’t prepare. There was never enough time for stretching and proper nutrition. I failed my knee and because of my incompetence, my knee failed me.

That’s what we saw against the Badgers on Saturday; a team ill-prepared for the task at hand. Wisconsin arrived confident and flawlessly executed each play call. On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines arrived not ready or willing to win in hostile territory.

When you break it down, the Wolverines players are leaps and bounds more talented than those who lineup across from them. Four and five-star recruits facing off against three and four-star blue color bullies.

One exceptionally talented team loss to a less talented but more prepared squad. What can be deduced as the problem? Coaching.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has a top ten recruiting class nearly every cycle and what does he do with them?

Jim has brought some of the top-ranked football players in the entire country and yet he has a 1-9 record against opponents ranked in the top ten, he’s without a win against rival Ohio State, and he has a deplorable record on the road against ranked opponents.

With all that said, the position grades for the Wolverines this week will be lenient as the evidence shows no matter what Michigan football player takes the field, their performance is not a reflection of their talent and potential.

As always, the grades are based on an A-F scale.