5 things we learned in Fiesta Bowl loss by Michigan Football
The loss in the Fiesta Bowl was a painful one for Michigan football and here are five things we learned about the Wolverines.
It’s still hard to believe the Michigan football season is over. The Wolverines’ comeback fell short against TCU and the 51-45 loss ended a perfect season.
Michigan football won’t be winning the national championship or even playing for it after a bunch of mistakes doomed the Wolverines. TCU was spectacular. Give them their due.
But Michigan will be thinking about the missed opportunities for a long time. The Wolverines should have won that game, even with the bad call. Yet, losing in the College Football Playoff doesn’t make this season a failure — far from it.
Here are five things we learned from Michigan football’s Fiesta Bowl loss.
This team was good enough to win the game
Michigan’s 34-11 loss to Georgia didn’t sting this bad because it was clear that Georgia was the better team. I think Georgia is going to win the national championship again and I would have thought that if Michigan was the opponent.
However, the Wolverines were good enough to beat TCU and good enough to beat Georgia, especially after watching Ohio State lead the Bulldogs by 14 in the fourth quarter.
Watching a team you beat by 22 points play for the national title would have been brutal. Yet, there’s no doubt Michigan belonged in the playoff.
The Wolverines are a top-3 team this season and just made some uncharacteristic mistakes that proved costly. There were curious play calls on offense and defense, and this one will sting for a while because this was the best Michigan football we’ve seen in 25 years.
Still, the people calling this season a failure have lost it. Winning a Big Ten championship will always be a successful season in my book.
Meat was left on the bone, but this season was still one I’ll cherish for years to come.
Michigan has beaten Ohio State twice in a row, won the Big Ten title two years in a row, and will finish in the top three for the second year in a row. There’s another mountain to climb, but it’s OK to take a moment and appreciate the road that’s been traveled since 2020.