Michigan is the most successful program in college football history. The Wolverines have won 12 national championships, with the most recent coming in 2023, and have more wins than any other team.
There could have been more national championships, though. Michigan football has missed plenty of opportunities over the years.
There would likely be debate among Wolverine fans about the biggest what-ifs in Michigan football history, but here's our list of the top five.
What if Michigan football had hired Jim Harbaugh in 2007?
Harbaugh would have been a risk. He was coming off a 4-8 season with the Stanford Cardinal. That was a three-win improvement, but he was two years away from a breakthrough.
Still, Harbaugh's Stanford team upset No. 2 USC that season at the LA Coliseum. Harbaugh had also guided San Diego to the FCS playoffs in his first head coaching job, before engineering a three-win improvement in his first season at a Power-4 job.
Who knows what happened with Les Miles. Shifting to Rich Rodriguez was a terrible mistake. If Harbaugh had been hired, Ryan Mallett probably would have stayed. Maybe Mario Manningham, too. There was a mass exodus because of the change to the spread.
With Harbaugh, Michigan would have been reinvigorated even earlier than it was. It lay dormant for a decade because no one had the vision to see what Jim Harbaugh would become.
What if The 2-point play was good in 2013?
It's strange how many ripple effects history can have. Brady Hoke was fired after the 2014 season, making way for Jim Harbaugh to take over.
However, if Devin Garder's two-point pass had been completed, or if another play had been called and worked, it could have altered Michigan football history. Hoke would have been 2-1 against Ohio State with a win over Urban Meyer, after a narrow defeat in 2012.
The change to Shane Morris probably doesn't happen; the 2014 season likely doesn't turn into a complete disaster. Even in defeat, Gardner was epic, throwing for 451 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns.
Ohio State would have been denied a national title opportunity, and Gardner's Michigan legacy would feel much different. Who knows how the rivalry might have shifted.
What if the 1974 field goal against Ohio State was called good?
Mike Lantry had some costly missed field goals for Michigan football in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. He missed two in the final minute of "The Game" in 1973, leading to the 10-10 tie.
Michigan was 10-0 in 1974 going into the Ohio State game. The Wolverines didn't get to a bowl game last season, and after Lantry missed a 33-yard field goal in the final seconds, or at least it was called no good to lose 12-10 to Ohio State (TV angles showed differently), another 10-0 start went to waste.
Ohio State finished as the No. 4 team in 1974 after an 18-17 loss to USC, but if Michigan had beaten the Buckeyes, they would have gotten their shot at the national title, the one thing that Bo Schembechler failed to do as U-M head coach.
What if roughing the passer wasn't called on Shawn Crable?
Trailing 35-31, Ohio State was facing a third-and-long. Troy Smith, the eventual Heisman Trophy winner in 2006, threw an incomplete pass. Michigan football was expected to get the ball back in the No. 1 vs No. 2 "Game of the Century" with time to score a game-winning touchdown.
Instead, Shawn Crable was flagged for roughing the passer. Ohio State scored, pushing the lead to 42-31. The Wolverines scored a touchdown on their next drive, before losing 42-39.
If that penalty wasn't called, Michigan would have had another shot at the national championship.
What if overtime existed in 1973?
Michigan missed two field goals in the final two minutes of the 1973 game against Ohio State. The two teams finished tied with identical 10-0-1 records.
Back then, there wasn't a 12-team playoff or even a four-team playoff. Only one team in the conference reached a bowl game. There was a vote among the conference and the athletic directors voted for Ohio State over Michigan.
The Buckeyes went to the Rose Bowl, defeated USC and finished ranked No. 2 in the 1973 AP Poll.
If overtime existed, you have to think Michigan would have found a way. The Wolverines were at home, and they were the better team. Rumors of an injury to quarterback Dennis Franklin might have marred the final vote, yet if overtime were a thing in 1973, Michigan could have earned a ticket to the Rose Bowl and possibly an undefeated season, although Ohio State fans would say the same thing.
What if JT Barrett was called short?
The 2016 edition of "The Game" came down to a single play. JT Barrett was stopped short on a fourth-down run, but the officials messed up the spot and failed to fix it on review.
If they had the correct call, Michigan would have won the game right there. The Wolverines would have won the Big Ten title, and reached The College Football Playoff in Harbaugh's second season.
Maybe that would have led to a breakthrough earlier. Recruiting would have been different. History might have been different, too, although if Harbaugh had achieved that in 2016, maybe he wouldn't be around to win the national title in 2023. The NFL might have gotten him back sooner.
Add us as a preferred source on Google