5 Things we learned from Michigan Football’s Big Ten Championship win
Michigan football won the Big Ten championship on Saturday night in Indy and here are five things we learned from the Wolverines win.
It’s amazing how quickly a narrative can change.
At the start of the season, nobody expected Michigan football to be playing for the Big Ten championship. The ESPN FPI gave the Wolverines a two percent chance and a 0.0 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff.
Well, the computers were wrong.
The Wolverines ran their through schedule like a buzzsaw. There was the slip against Sparty, in a game Michigan led by 16, but in many games, the Wolverines never trailed.
That was the case Saturday. Iowa missed an early field goal and Blake Corum was off to the races. Donovan Edward’s touchdown pass to Roman Wilson made it 14-0 and right then, you kind of knew it was over.
The Wolverines racked up 461 yards of total offense including 211 on the ground against a stingy Iowa team. Michigan scored four rushing touchdowns, while Cade McNamara had one touchdown pass in addition to Edwards’ bomb. It was a beat down in every sense of the word.
Here’s what we learned from the Wolverines 39-point Big Ten championship win.
Computers misjudged Michigan
This is a reminder of why, at times, computers always will be wrong. How does a computer measure heart? The will to win? The drive to succeed?
Those computers underestimated Harbaugh, Hutchinson, Hassan Haskins, Cade McNamara, Josh Ross, Andrew Vastardis, Brad Hawkins, Erick All and so many more.
Because the truth is, those guys were the heart and soul of the team. Many of them were on the 2-4 team, and are now integral to a team that’s 12-1 (only the third 12-win team in U-M history).
Vastardis went from a walk-on, who many thought shouldn’t be on the field, to an All-Big Ten offensive lineman. He was spectacular this year, especially in “The Game” — just another reminder of those who stay…
Haskins turned himself in a First-Team All-Big Ten running back and set the Michigan football touchdown record in the process. Hutchinson set Michigan’s single-season sack record and passed up millions to play in the NFL to do so.
Now, he’s got his team a Big Ten title and a berth in the College Football Playoff, plus a trip to New York could be on the horizon. The list goes on, and on, and on.
As corny as it sounds, Michigan football proved if there is a will, there’s a way as coach Harbaugh says. And once again, the phrase, “Those who stay will be champions” has very real meaning.