College Gameday harsh on Harbaugh, Michigan Football splits picks

College Gameday had some harsh truths about Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, but the Wolverines still got the headgear from Lee Corso.

It’s always interesting when your team is one of those featured on ESPN’s “College Gameday” and that was the case for Michigan football Saturday leading into the game vs Minnesota.

And as was expected, Harbaugh’s record was under a close review and it revealed, as we all know that Michigan hasn’t always played well on the big stage under Harbaugh.

The 0-10 record as an underdog stands out, as does the 0-5 record against Ohio State, plus the 2-12 record vs the AP Top 10. However, none of that is new. Another interesting data point is the 8-2 record was AP teams ranked 11-25, as well as a 17.2 average margin of victory.

That caught my attention because it’s applicable to tonight’s game against Minnesota as Michigan football is ranked No. 18 and the Gophers are No. 21.

Another popular stat is that Harbaugh and the Wolverines have only won one game against a ranked team since 2006 and it was at Michigan State in 2018 against a mediocre team.

That means the Wolverines and Harbaugh can make a statement with a win tonight. P.J. Fleck is the hot name in the coaching world, even though his teams have won 23 games the last three years in the weaker Big Ten West, while Harbaugh has won 27.

Michigan also beat a pair of double-digit win teams in 2019, so it’s not like the Wolverines don’t beat good teams. Yet, knocking off the Gophers would help them squash a couple of narratives or at least the idea that U-M can’t beat ranked teams or win the “big” game.

Of course, with Michigan, it’s never a big game if the Wolverines win, only if they lose.

Corso picks Michigan football

One of the most anticipated parts of watching College Gameday are the picks at the end of the show and the head gear.

And along with guest picker Vince Vaughn, David Pollack picked Minnesota to win on its home field, but Desmond Howard, the former Wolverine picked Michigan. So did Lee Corso, who pointed out that Michigan hasn’t lost in Minnesota since 1977.

Those kind of stats always freak me out, but then again, as a Michigan football fan, that’s a common condition. Believe it or not, we are just hours away from watching the 2020 Wolverines.