3 thoughts on Michigan football heading into the CFP semifinal

Currently, Michigan football sits at 13-0 overall and 10-0 in Big Ten play, is ranked No. 2 nationally, just won its second-straight Big Ten Championship, and is gearing up to face No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

Here are three thoughts on the Wolverines’ football program as we head into the CFP matchup.

3. Jim Harbaugh is building a dynasty

Since 2015, Michigan football has had its ups and downs under Jim Harbaugh. Of Harbaugh’s first seven (full) seasons at the helm, five of them have seen 10 or more wins. Jim Harbaugh has always seen some level of success in the Maize and Blue, though throughout the past two years he has gone above and beyond.

Prior to the 2021 season, the Wolverines’ best season under Harbaugh was either 2015, 2016, or 2018. In all three cases, Michigan football went 10-3 and finished ranked inside or near the top 10.

In fact, Harbaugh’s worst seasons at Michigan were an 8-5 season in 2017 and a 9-4 season in 2019 — both seasons that nearly any other DI program would take in a heartbeat or at least consider a “good” season.

That being said, it felt as if the Wolverines would never get to the next level — the level of beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten.

Since Michigan’s 2-4 performance in the COVID-19 season, the Wolverines are 25-2 overall with two conference titles, back-to-back wins over Ohio State, and two CFP appearances. The Wolverines look like a program reborn, and that goes beyond the on-field results themselves.

Michigan football is now embracing NIL, taking over the transfer portal, and seems to be at the center of the National Championship discussion, not just for this year, but for years to come as well.

With these results, it seems fair to assume that the Wolverines have taken the next step in their journey back to the top of the college football world. Jim Harbaugh has spent years trying to break through Michigan’s glass ceiling, and now that he has, there seems to be little stopping Michigan football from being a consistent College Football Playoff team.

Next year, I expect the Wolverines to be favored to win their third-straight Big Ten Championship, and aside from its matchup at Penn State, Michigan football should have a relatively clear-cut path to the Playoff once again.