When in the last 3 years did you know things had changed with the program?
I think we'd all agree this is the best three-year run of Michigan football in any of our lifetimes (for context, I'm 40 and started watching in 1991). Moreover, I think we'd all agree that none of us saw this coming back in August 2021. To me, that makes this run even more special.
So, as we all continue to enjoy this amazing ride, I keep thinking back to something from 2021. There was a specific point at which it felt obvious to me that something had changed with the program. Going into the Wisconsin game, we had been playing pretty well and they hadn't, but the belief was that they were better than they'd looked. As I recall, we were a 2-point dog. Not only had we failed to win as a road underdog under Harbaugh, I'm pretty sure you'd have to go back to 2006 (at ND) for the last time we'd won such a game.
So, as the second half of that game unfolded and we imposed our will en route to a 38-17 (IIRC) blowout, I remember saying to my girlfriend, "this is going to be different this year." During that half, I started to believe that would be the team that would finally beat OSU. And of course, that was a precursor to where we've ended up now. There are other sentimental reasons why I think back to that game but for now, suffice to say it made me a believer in Michigan football and Harbaugh again.
So, was there a specific moment like that for you in 2021 (or later if you for whatever reason weren't convinced after that season)?
(Also - if this length of post would be better as a diary entry please LMK. Longtime poster here but have never started a thread till now.)
January 11th, 2024 at 8:51 PM ^
For me it was when I realized we would sacrifice going all out and destroying bad opponents and would save stuff and our best performances for the big games.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:52 PM ^
OSU, 2021. Most important game in UM history.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
Still was the happiest I've ever been after a win. Even including this Rose Bowl and National Championship Game
January 11th, 2024 at 9:19 PM ^
I was thinking about that too. It felt like nothing was going to top the feeling I had after OSU 2021... not OSU 2022, not OSU 2023, even the Rose Bowl wasn't quite at that level for me. But Monday night exceeded it, finally. It's not just happiness but also a sense of peace.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:59 PM ^
That one felt great, I'm def ok with calling it the biggest win in M history. Somehow the game was our third biggest win this year. The rose bowl I might put up there with the 2021 game...it validated so much that the game first made real.
I also think beating your primary rival when they finish in the top 5 in a national championship season would be up there too, so I'm going to stump for the 1933 little brown jug too as part of this conversation
January 11th, 2024 at 11:56 PM ^
Not so fast! The Game was absolutely the biggest win of the year without question! It is every year!
January 11th, 2024 at 9:45 PM ^
https://mgoblog.com/sites/default/files/2021-11/OSU%20Offense%202021_0.jpg
Just look at that chart.
January 12th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
Keep repeating it on here, that 21 WR core is better than any in the NFL save Bengals. All first rounders and a rookie of the year to boot. It's truly an insane amount of talent. And that was with Jamo leaving the room and blowing up at Bama. And MHJ parked on the bench..
January 11th, 2024 at 10:11 PM ^
Most important game in UM history.
This could actually be true, given that it set up a run that led to an unprecedented 15-0 National Championship. That is Yost-level greatness.
It is certainly the most important Michigan game this century.
January 12th, 2024 at 11:32 AM ^
It's gotta be up there. I think it launched this 3 year run in a way that makes it stand out over the other big ones, even in 2023
Other games historically that come to mind
1997 The Rose Bowl gives us the title, Judgment Day - but PSU tailed off after that, The Game is a top 5 matchup - all 3 contribute to our national title; YMMV on which is most important
1969 The Game launched the Bo era, made the rivalry one of the biggest in American sport
1947 - the 1948 Rose Bowl convinced AP writers that we should've been the champ, not ND
1933 The Jug is a game between 2 of the 3 best teams in America, and we win
1909 we give Penn their only loss of the season, the first time we beat an eastern power
1902 we shutout Chicago, the generally best team in The West, and win our 2nd national title
1898 we beat Chicago 12-11, capping our first "Big Ten" 'ship and an undefeated season, and Louis Elbel pens The Victors
All of those were important for the eras they were in and since most contributed to national championships they kinda echo in the banners that fly forever. The 2021 game launched us to another national title, eventually.
We're witnesses to what's just been a tremendous 3 year run. I feel so lucky to be a Michigan Wolverine
January 11th, 2024 at 10:19 PM ^
Bingo. I had a good feeling that was the start of something. Especially with JJ emerging
January 11th, 2024 at 10:21 PM ^
Honestly; I still kinda felt like we were lucky to win this/“it was Haskins/hutchinson playing out of their minds.” The blowout to Georgia kinda confirmed.
next year in Columbus was when I was genuinely like the tide had turned.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:41 PM ^
Don't know how you could watch that game and think Haskins won it by playing out of his mind. Almost every run play of the second half he was 6-7 yards down the field before any OSU player had a chance to touch him. That was one of the most dominating team wins you'll ever see.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:55 PM ^
No question this is it. David slayed Goliath that day. Then became Goliath the day after that.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:57 PM ^
That game will always have a special place in Michigan lore. Everything changed that day.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:41 PM ^
Correct. Nothing can actually top the 2021 OSU game. The conditions. The fact that it actually happened. They say you always remember your first time. Everything downstream of that has been the river pushing closer to the sea. 2021 OSU was when the tributary broke over the rock; it was all fait accompli, the question was just when it would be realized.
January 12th, 2024 at 2:18 AM ^
When I witnessed us physically dominate them in that game I knew something bad changed.
January 12th, 2024 at 2:56 AM ^
Biggest game in my lifetime and most exciting. Cried after.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:52 PM ^
O-Ja-Bo
I cried a bit at that moment.
Demons exorcised.
Anything was possible after vanquishing OSU
January 11th, 2024 at 8:53 PM ^
It was the same moment Munford's ass hit the ground.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:53 PM ^
In the snow, in Ann Arbor. Watching Haskins go crazy. It was beautiful and cathartic!!!!
January 11th, 2024 at 8:54 PM ^
Osu 2021. I vividly remember being shocked that UM was only an 8.5 point dog and didn't see any way they'd win. Silly me.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:22 PM ^
That's funny - I remember thinking it was crazy we were that big an underdog based on how both teams had played to that point in the season. At the same time, the BPONE wasn't totally gone from my system yet (even considering what I thought of the team after the Wisconsin game that year). I remember being at a cigar lounge the night before The Game and a group of guys near me were talking about how they'd leave early if it became a blowout. And it was like, well, yeah, that might happen based on recent editions of The Game!
January 11th, 2024 at 9:53 PM ^
I say 2023 was the most important game ever. Because for Ohio State they were doubling down on the 2021 and 2022 games, and for Michigan literally every game won over the last 3 seasons up to that point were on the line. Winning in 2023 gave Ohio State 3 losses and Michigan 37 wins.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:01 PM ^
I think because we won, that game is just one of 3. It felt great and was the most competitive and it's important but the '21 game feels bigger to me in the aftermath.
Also the Rose Bowl this year feels bigger than the game even tho I believe that OSU team was better than Bama.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:02 PM ^
The osu game was way bigger than Alabama at the time because we lose to osu, we never make the playoff, I don’t think (with the national narrative at the time of Michigan).
January 11th, 2024 at 11:44 PM ^
OSU actually did adjust this year following 2021 and 2022. Their defense was way more hard-nosed and physical than the past two years, and that was a direct reaction to getting stuffed in a locker by M.
January 12th, 2024 at 2:21 AM ^
I woke up that morning ready for another un-aenesthetized dental proceedure.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:56 PM ^
When the greatest coach ever referenced another sub par coach as born on 3rd base.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:56 PM ^
Common answer, but had to be OSU 2021, and sealed by winning in 2022 at their place. This was not the teams of yore that let the moment be too big. These teams just won, and had the will and the talent. That was not something I had seem before in all my fandom (started at Michigan in 2009).
January 11th, 2024 at 8:56 PM ^
When Haskins hurled OSU
January 11th, 2024 at 10:33 PM ^
That drive had a very "holy shit this is actually happening" feel to it, from snap 1.
January 12th, 2024 at 8:29 AM ^
That's right. It was clear that not only had the Buckeyes' heart been ripped out, their soul had been stomped on and the life support removed. It was pretty stunning to watch it unfold right before our very eyes. They literally stopped competing.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:07 PM ^
Yes, it’s that exact moment when I finally stopped doubting we were going to win
January 11th, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
Wisconsin '21 is when I knew that TEAM was different.
OSU '22 is when I knew the program had changed.
One win over OSU wasn't enough, neither was a B1G Championship. Again, that just meant that team was special.
But two years in a row? That's when I knew the program had truly changed.
It's not like we beat some shitty 6-6 OSU team, we beat NFL level PROS. Undefeated, 11-0, Buckeyes.
That changed everything.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:07 PM ^
Admittedly, it's part of the reason that I didn't enjoy this season as much as I should have.
After those two seasons, I truly believed we were going 15-0 and winning a national championship. I said it from jump.
The only thing that worried me was the back end of the defense and I knew we had 8-9 games to get experience and figure it out. We used those first 8-9 games perfectly! (e.g., Sabb in the National Championship Game).
So I went into every game thinking we should win. Which is great...but it makes games feel like a slow suffering at times. Whereas in '21...those games were just fun, that was "house money." If we played Nebraska in '23 like we did in '21, that would've been a meltdown of epic proportions.
(Also, Bama, UGA, and OSU all had new QBs...and Michigan had a returning starter. I just felt like this was Michigan's best shot)
I'm going to enjoy this season A LOT more this offseason when I go back and rewatch all the games, I'm going to appreciate this year A LOT more in 2-3 years.
Not to say I didn't enjoy this year, it was obviously INCREDIBLE. I was in Houston and that was amazing. But I also want to say it was fun. 2021 was fun. 2013 MBB was fun. 1997 was fun.
I'm still in a delayed state of shock and relief, but eventually this too will have been a fun year.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:27 PM ^
Your distinction between the 2021 team and the overall program makes sense and reminds me of something I meant to include in my OP but forgot. Basically, it was whether people were concerned that 2021 would just be a one-off.
Yeah, I hear you about this year. It's funny how quickly expectations change. The first nine games felt like an absolute lock coming into the season, with the last three feeling (in order) like a tossup, a very likely win, and a maybe 51/49 proposition to me. So that definitely affected how I experienced the games vs. 2021, when I expected 8-4 (basically losing to any good/decent team) coming in.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:07 PM ^
2021 was def fun. I watched the whole season believing we'd lose to OSU but enjoyed every second of it except the MSU ending. Even the UGA loss only lingered for the first half.
2022 was a bit more nerve wracking. After Iowa and PSU I realized we were very good and most games were competitive in the first half and that made me nervous and then when the blowout happened I would fret about OSU. That season we less fun until the game, which until halftime I thought we were losing.
2023 was the least fun in the moment - we dominated everyone from start to finish until Harbaugh's suspension and the Stalions drama was rough on me. But the ending was the most satisfying...and validating.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:48 PM ^
This is how it goes when rooting for a championship team. If you're an informed fan, the year that it happens is often less fun to watch as it occurs because you know the team is capable of playing at the very highest level and expect it all the time. The build up to that is often more enjoyable because you're surprised when the switch gets flipped and realize you're witnessing something new. I remember this about the Cubs' World Series run. 2015 was more fun as a fan than 2016.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:33 PM ^
100% This.
- The 2021 Wisconsin game. Specifically, when I saw the team embracing the “Jump Around” thing they do at Camp Randall as if it were for THEM. It was clear they figured out how to use some psychological jujitsu to overcome challenging road environments.
- The 2021 OSU game was a thrill of course, but for me the thing that let me know the PROGRAM had reached another level was that 2022 over the Buckeyes. It was IN Columbus, with a new young QB, and there was NO way Ohio State was going to take a win for granted this time around after their loss in 2021. And yet we still won. THAT’S when it was clear: the program is not only at a different level now….it’s SUSTAINABLE.
January 12th, 2024 at 8:38 AM ^
I'm right there with you MBA2. We were eventually going to beat osu at some point, so I felt like 2021 could have been a "we were due," situation. I was gleefully happy, but I didn't know we had turned the corner.
Doing it again, in Columbus? Now that's some serious shit. And they did it. I wasn't on the verge of tears like in '21, but I felt much better about the future after that win in 2022.
January 12th, 2024 at 9:42 AM ^
Yep, came looking for the first person to say Wisconsin '21. Michigan used to always suck on the road. Even when they won it was like pulling teeth. That Wisconsin team was not great, but Michigan came out and handled business confidently in a way that clearly signaled something had changed in the program
January 11th, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
Jump Around at Wisconsin
January 11th, 2024 at 9:02 PM ^
This right here. It made me a believer that the team could recover from the MSU loss that came later.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:26 PM ^
Exactly. The team embracing everything - having fun - and taking names…
January 11th, 2024 at 9:33 PM ^
That's right, I see a few people have mentioned that specific moment and I remember marveling at it when I saw it on TV. It felt like the kind of "swagger" you never saw from previous Michigan teams. It was like they were saying, we KNOW we're better than you and we're going to have some fun while we prove it.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:53 PM ^
I was at the game, something that I'm not able to do often. I had a good seat on the Michigan side of the field, and I've yet to see a clip that just captures the holy shit-ness of the moment as I saw it live. Then you add on the lethargic response from everyone in red on Barry Alvarez Day (we still have the towels they gave away!), and it's even further beyond what could be conveyed even in 4K.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
Monday night.
January 11th, 2024 at 8:59 PM ^
Haven't posted much about it here, but in all my private conversations I have been pro-Harbaugh all along. My canned response to questions in the dark times has always been: "Who can Michigan replace him with who will be an upgrade?"
I still have many friends, including fellow alumni, who even today aren't pro-Harbaugh. I don't understand for the life of me. I want him to stay in good health, maintain his crazy ways, and coach until he's 99.
To answer your question: No turning point. Just consistent optimism.