For the fourth season in a row, Michigan ends with a whimper and not with a bang. Michigan lost to Florida, 41-15, in a Peach Bowl blowout, the Wolverines’ first-ever loss to the Gators after four previous meetings this century.
Jim Harbaugh’s latest collapse includes Michigan finally losing to Florida
The seasons start great for Michigan. But they don’t finish that way.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Despite Michigan’s success and high rankings and consistent involvement in the Playoff race deep into the season under Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines consistently limp to the finish line.
In Septembers and Octobers, the Wolverines are 27-5 under Harbaugh. In Novembers onward, they’re 11-9.
In the last three seasons since Harbaugh’s really gotten things rolling, things look even uglier.
That late-season loss number includes an upset against Iowa, but the more troubling results are against teams that are in the same neighborhood of talent and blue blood cachet that Michigan lives in.
There’s three losses to Ohio State in there — including this year’s blowout. There’s a two touchdown loss to Wisconsin in 2017. There’s a 16-point come from behind victory by South Carolina in there. And now there’s this loss to Florida, which by the 26-point margin makes it the second-biggest non Ohio State loss Harbaugh has had while in Ann Arbor.
And this is with a roster that’s considered the best incarnation of what Harbaugh actually wants for his team.
People have been waiting for this program to develop an identity and they have one. They are going to hammer you until you break. With that comes frustrations that they let teams hang around and leave chances for points on the field, but they have stuck with that and the second-half floodgates have opened every time, without failure.
Time off the clock with sustained drives is more valuable to this team right now than points are because it ensures that arguably the best Michigan defense in 20 years stays fresh and does not lose an edge. Could that come back to haunt them at some point? Maybe. But when the defense is playing the way it is, it may not matter if they score 13 points or 80 points.
So, cue the offseason storylines.
It’ll be a crucial offseason in Ann Arbor ... Michigan has to take the next step ... with Ohio State in flux the time is now ... the NFL whispers ... y’all know the drill. If Michigan was another program, we’re not having this conversation. But Michigan is Michigan.
But when you start seasons as promisingly as Michigan does (two separate times in the Playoff committee’s top four rankings through Week 12) yet don’t finish then you’ve earned the questions about just what the hell is going on.
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