Michigan Football: 5 things we learned from Wolverines 2019 season

Harbaugh, like Michigan, is good, not great

Jim Harbaugh is a good football coach. But after five years as the head man of Michigan football, it’s clear that he isn’t elite. Not by a long shot.

During his five years, the Wolverines have averaged almost exactly 9.5 wins. They have an average AP poll ranking of 11th and their win total during that time falls in a similar range.

Under Harbaugh, Michigan has been a top 10-15 program. That’s what the win total reflects, along with the recruiting rankings. And for the most part, that’s where Michigan football should be. The problem is that in those five years, U-M has never had a magical championship season or even a win over Ohio State.

Imagine if Michigan beat Ohio State in 2016 and won the Big Ten, Harbaugh’s record would look much better. Even under Bo, Michigan was never a yearly national title contender and the truth is, it probably never will be.

But as Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa and even Michigan State have shown, other Big Ten programs besides Ohio State are capable of winning league titles and making a run at the College Football Playoff. Hell, Michigan has been on the doorstep twice, only to get crushed by OSU.

There is no shame in being a top-10 program and Michigan football can surely be that. But at some point, you have to win a championship and some games you aren’t supposed to win.

Michigan is back to being consistently good and with Harbaugh, it can stay that way for a long time. But will it ever get back to being great? That’s a question without an answer.