3 thoughts on Michigan football heading into the CFP semifinal

3. Michigan football should be as good or better in 2023

In 2021, we thought Michigan football was the best it could be this decade. In 2022, the sky seems to be the limit going forward. What changed from ’21 to ’22? The Wolverines showed that they can sustain success.

Michigan football saw its second-ever 12-win season in 2021 off the heels of one of the worst seasons the program has ever had. The Wolverines’ 42-27 win over Ohio State was the program’s first since 2011 and led to Michigan football’s first Big Ten Title since 2004.

While the 2021 season was an impressive step for the Wolverines, it was just one season — in order to be taken seriously, the Wolverines needed to sustain this success. In 2022, Michigan did exactly that.

U-M came into the season with lower expectations that you’d think, at least from outside of the program. In fairness, Michigan football lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators, and a plethora of talent on both sides of the football. Michigan’s over/under was set at 9.5 wins heading into the year.

After playing arguably the weakest non-conference schedule in the country and struggling with Maryland, Michigan picked up its first solid win: a 27-14 win at Iowa. While the Hawkeyes are not exactly a force this year, it was the first time in nearly two decades that Michigan football won a game in Iowa City.

From there, it felt as if the Michigan Wolverines were unstoppable. Michigan beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17, in-state rival Michigan State 29-7, and No. 2 Ohio State 45-23 en route to a perfect 12-0 regular season. For the second-straight year, Michigan won the Big Ten Championship in dominant fashion; this time, the Wolverines knocked off Purdue, 43-22.

As we head into the Fiesta Bowl matchup vs. No. 3 TCU, it is hard to not think about how good next year’s team will be. Between Michigan’s current stars — such as sophomores JJ McCarthy and Donovan Edwards — and its transfer portal additions, it is hard to imagine the Wolverines won’t be as good (or better) than they are this year.

Nothing is set in stone, but the state of the program is better than it has been in decades and the fans could not be happier.