Michigan football: 2022 may define Jim Harbaugh’s legacy

After an up and down start with the Wolverines from 2015 to 2020, Jim Harbaugh finally got Michigan football over the Ohio State hump and brought the Wolverines their first Big Ten title game victory. Though Harbaugh’s Wolverines finished 12-2 last season, it is 2022 that will likely define Jim Harbaugh’s legacy in Ann Arbor.

After the 2021 season, Jim Harbaugh’s record with Michigan football is now much more impressive than it was heading into the year.

Jim Harbaugh was 0-5 against Ohio State, 3-3 against Michigan State, and Penn State through six seasons at Michigan. He had no Big Ten titles or College Football Playoff appearances during his tenure with the Wolverines.

Since its 12-2 campaign in 2021, Michigan has now broken most of those narratives — the Wolverines now have a win over Ohio State, a conference title, and a playoff appearance and are back in the win column against big-brand schools such as Wisconsin and Penn State.

Notably, both the Wisconsin and Penn State wins came against these teams on the road as an underdog in 2021.

With the 2022 season fast approaching and much of Michigan’s team returning, the Wolverines are now poised for a second-straight Big Ten title run and could be in an excellent position to win back-to-back games against the Buckeyes.

The coming season will likely have many defining moments for Jim Harbaugh himself; after all, Harbaugh will be entering his eighth season in Ann Arbor and will need to sustain his results on the field.

Michigan needs to prove it can sustain success

If Jim Harbaugh can set a new norm, break the narrative, and keep it that way, Michigan football will be back to its glory days. If not, the Wolverines will turn back into the 9-10 wins per season team that is good but never great — a curse that the Harbaugh era has only recently broken. While the success of 2021 was stellar for the program and its fans, Harbaugh will need to repeat this success more than once to define his legacy at Michigan.

After six full seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh has four seasons with 10 or more wins, one conference title, three New Years Six bowl game appearances, and one college football playoff appearance. Jim Harbaugh took Michigan from the gutter to the top of the conference, but the time has now come to take the Wolverines to the next level: elite status.

Programs such as Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia have all reached this level — and Michigan football’s time could be coming soon.