Michigan Football: Is Jim Harbaugh building a dynasty?

The best and worst of Jim Harbaugh

2020 saw the Covid-19 pandemic take the world by storm. Many life-changing altercations were made throughout the year, most of which started in early March and impacted the Big Ten football season.

At first, the conference announced that it would not be playing football in the Big Ten; however, after months of waiting, the Big Ten announced that their season would start in late October.

On October 24th, the Wolverines would travel to take on Minnesota in a ranked matchup, one of the most anticipated week one games, and bring home a dominant victory. Michigan would leave Minneapolis with a 49-24 win in their season opener and fly up the rankings the following week.

In a messy, Covid-ridden football season, Michigan would start to struggle.

After being upset by an unranked Michigan State team in the Big House and then being crushed by Wisconsin, the Wolverines would find themselves at 1-3 heading into their game against Rutgers. After multiple overtimes, Michigan would narrowly escape with a victory, their second and last win of the season.

Following the Wolverines’ loss to Penn State, Michigan football would find itself in the middle of a Covid-19 outbreak and be forced to cancel its remaining games, most notably the Ohio State game.

After a fantastic start, the Wolverines finished their pandemic season 2-4, their only losing season under Harbaugh.

The climb back

Michigan football came into 2021 with no expectations for the first time under Jim Harbaugh. After Harbaugh had received a re-worked contract that was almost entirely incentive-based, Michigan had a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

After the Wolverines’ first few games, Michigan football was doing better than expected. The Wolverines started their season with a 47-14 over Western Michigan in the home opener and followed their performance with a 31-10 win over Washington and a 63-10 win over the MAC champion NIU Huskies.

After a seemingly impressive 3-0 start, Michigan opened conference play against Rutgers, which came into the game with a 3-1 record. Michigan started the game out well, leading Rutgers 20-3 at halftime; however, a second-half meltdown led to a 20-13 win and left many Michigan fans worried.

Michigan would continue their winning streak up to mid-season and entered the Michigan State game ranked in the top-10 with a 7-0 record. Though the Spartans knocked off the Wolverines once again, Michigan football learned from its mistakes and continued their winning through to the College Football Playoff.

By the time the Ohio State game rolled around, the Wolverines had met a familiar opponent in a familiar situation. Michigan and Ohio State both boasted 10-1 records with top-five rankings and were one game out from a Big Ten title berth and a potential trip to the playoff on the line. For the third time under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s season would be decided in their final week of play.

For the first time under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines would set the tone and control Ohio State for the game’s entirety. Michigan, which had not defeated Ohio State in 10 seasons, overcame the Buckeyes by a wide margin. When the dust settled, and the fans were cleared from the field, Michigan had defeated Ohio State, 42-27.

Michigan would continue its winning ways through the Big Ten title game and dominate the Hawkeyes. In a measure of revenge from 2016, Michigan would handle Iowa and take home a Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2004. The Wolverines would knock off Iowa, 42-3, and secure their place in the College Football Playoff game.

Though Michigan could not defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in their playoff contest, Michigan’s 12-2 season still set a new tone for the program and could easily be the sign of a new dynasty of Michigan football.

With Jim Harbaugh’s recruiting and leadership on both sides of the ball, the Wolverines have all the right pieces to become a threat to all college football.