College Football 2015: Five biggest surprises of first half

Oct 10, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh prior to the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan Wolverines

Expectations were high for the future of the Michigan program after the hiring of Jim Harbaugh to lead his alma mater out of the Brady Hoke disaster, but the thinking was it would take him a year or two to get Michigan back.

Halfway through the season, Michigan isn’t quite back to being Michigan but they’ve made significant improvements and the timeline on the rebuild in Ann Arbor was accelerated. Forget about looking to 2016 and 2017, Harbaugh doesn’t have that kind of patience, and the defense he has is one of the best in the entire country.

Michigan is tied for the lead in scoring defense, allowing 9.3 points per game and are second in total defense, allowing 210.6 yards per game. They had three straight shutouts before losing in the most heartbreaking way against Michigan State on Saturday, but this defense has led Michigan to a 5-2 record in a season when winning seven would have been considered a success.

With a game against rival Ohio State looming at the end of the year, does Michigan have enough offensively to pull the upset and keep their rivals out of the Big Ten Championship Game?

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