Comparing College Football Programs to Families from Game of Thrones

Apr 4, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh in the offensive huddle during the Spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

House Stark = House Michigan

“Defend this House”

House Stark was once one of the most powerful families in Westeros. But that seems like a time out of a distant past now. The remaining members of the Stark family have been scattered to the winds, and every day is an exhausting struggle to survive.

The only way the Starks can stay relevant now, let alone ascend to any sort of power again, is to place faith in the strong individuals who are left: Arya, possibly about to train to become a dangerous killer; Bran, about to learn about old and mysterious magic; Sansa, getting shrewder every day; and even Jon, who has been surprised with a serious role of leadership he now has to live up to. It’s these individuals who still have a chance of reviving the Starks to something of what they used to be.

In college football, a northern team that has also felt a bit scattered to the winds in recent years is the Michigan Wolverines. Just as with every other empire, there was a decisive moment where it fell (2007, season opener, Appalachian State). Since then, there have been moments that could have indicated a resurgence of strength, like when the Wolverines won the Sugar Bowl in 2011. But that did not last, and since then Michigan has been relegated to the bottom of its division.

Enter a strong individual that Michigan can rally around: Jim Harbaugh. If there is one man who can at this moment bring hope of reviving the sunk-low Wolverines, it’s him. We’re looking forward to his future at the Big House, just as we’re curious what the Stark siblings’ futures will have in store.

Next: House Targaryen as South Carolina