Which was the best win of the Harbaugh era?
Since the ultimate goal is always stated as winning a National Championship, the most obvious answer would be the victory over Washington. For me, though, and I think probably for many others, it was beating OSU in 2021, which I believe made everything that followed possible. I doubt many of us were confident heading into that game, and I’m thinking the players and coaches had their doubts as well, after years of both heartbreak and humiliation in the greatest rivalry in sports. OSU had the stars, the smug, born on third base coach, and the confidence that comes from years of unbroken success. Michigan had it’s determination to face those doubts and finally get the job done or, as Harbaugh said, “die trying.” And they did. And it was glorious.
Everything about that day was perfect, including the way they did it, by running it down their throats, the snow falling as it happened, and the complete euphoria in the aftermath. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone as happy as Harbaugh was afterward, cutting short the on field interview with a delirious “we did it” before running off.
I’d rank the Alabama victory second, because it was Alabama and that created its own doubts, followed by the two other wins over OSU. The Washington win I rank only 5th. The work was done by that point. We knew Michigan was the better team. It was a great ride. I’m interested in what others think.
Ohio State. In 2016
I'm really curious how the trajectory of Harbaugh's program would've changed from 2017 onward if he'd won that day. And then you also have to wonder if the renaissance from 2021 onward would've even happened? Would it have even needed to happen, because they would've gotten the proverbial monkey off their back five years sooner?
I have had the exact same thought for quite a while. So much was made in the media that Harbaugh / Michigan couldn’t defeat OSU. Had that game - and others in Columbus - been called evenly - the narrative for that five year period would have been different.
Perhaps the Renaissance begins sooner - maybe it doesn’t. I think the catalysts for the ‘21 and beyond seasons included: coaching changes (e.g. Macdonald), Aidan Hutchinson (what have you done to beat OSU today), and the S&C (Ben Herbert - player focus).
The real what if is what if Grant Newsome's leg isn't destroyed. We beat Iowa and OSU in 2016, make the playoff (lose, because we weren't elite yet) and how does that impact recruiting? And how much does Newsome help the 2017 team?
(Also he's still in the NFL)
and how does that impact recruiting?
The flipside view/question is: does it impact recruiting? We've been to three straight playoffs, winning this past year, and yet we haven't had much of any kind of recruiting bump (I get that NIL has had a huge impact).
The one big what-if possibility for me is if we beat OSU in 2016, maybe Harbaugh doesn't lose his fire and have that weird zombie period from 2017-2020. But given how things played out, I can't help shake the feeling like we were still going to need a wholesale overhaul of the coaching staff in order to reach the mountain top...
Life is full of those what-if and what-could-have-been moments. Our family joke is that when you win a board game it is 100% skill and insight and if you lose the game is all luck and chance. Life is like that too. People over attribute success to their own capabilities and failure to the fates. The truth is that there is a threshold of competency. Once you're beyond it there is some standard deviations in outcomes, but a lot of it is luck. We were good enough to win in 2016. We should have won in 2016, but between the refs and Newsome being out, we didn't. Had the spot been called right that would have been the best win. Given our actual fate, I agree with the OPs ranking of Harbaugh wins.
I think an Iowa win, even with the OSU loss, could have put them in the playoffs, given what else happened that year. They just couldn't lose both.
And Antonio Bass is our quarterback
Part of that question has to be--what does Urban Meyer do? Assuming he was lying about both his heart condition in the late aughts and the mysterious aneurysm issue--would he still be coaching at osu if the refs hadn't screwed us in '16?
In other words, the loss in 2016 served two greater goods: 1. Urban Meyer's defenestration in Jacksonville and 2. the natty. But still, part of me died in 2016.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:03 PM ^
I stopped watching the Game after 2016. I didn't watch it live until 2023! '
In '17, I went camping so missed it live. And the theme continued through '19. In '21, I deliberately left for an activity that would keep me away from the Internet. Similarly in '22.
I watched the first quarter of 2018. Had an extremely bad feeling the entire time and went out to do yard work just periodically checking in on my phone. Since then I've used that Saturday for yard work and watched 2021-23 in the evening after each win.
I think Meyer was forced out over the Zach Smith thing. As a courtesy (and to avoid the fanbase burning the school down), they called it a resignation.
I actually don’t think the 2017-20 period would have been that different. The narrative certainly would have been different, and Harbaugh’s honeymoon with the fanbase would have lasted longer, but our weak 2014 and ‘15 recruiting classes were going to catch up to us. The 2017 team just didn’t have many talented upperclassmen. Also, Don Brown was going to be found out. I think we’d have probably still lost the next few OSU games and found ourselves struggling to break through, similar to PSU post-2016.
PSU might actually be the program that most affected by us winning the Game in 2016. That would take away Franklin’s one Big Ten title, which might have left him on shakier footing and possibly hurt his recruiting.
I can tell you the best moment of the 21’ game, the moment I was pretty sure we were going to win: that was the Roman Wilson helmet pull-off when UM's OL literally sprinted over and verbally mauled poor Cam Brown. It was obvious at that moment who was tougher, who wanted it more and would fight for it, and who was a more cohesive team. That game was an even bigger blowout if not for a couple of miracle plays by OSU. However, the 22 game is actually my favorite as it showed we were here to stay. Not to mention the way it unfolded with Jim Knowles having the best drive of his career lasting one play.
That '21 game gave us Seth's "hat" metric in UFR (initially titled for that first game as WRDIS--pronounced "werr-dis"--meaning "Wide Receivers Doing Insane Shit").
I always thought that moment was funny. From an unbiased perspective, Roman very clearly instigated it and dragged it on a little bit longer than it needed to. Probably should have been an unsportsmanlike on both teams, but they only called it on Brown, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
double comment woops
If that happens, I don't know if Michigan wins a national championship. Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and LSU were just at another level through that stretch. Michigan would have made waves in the playoffs, but they didn't have a QB that could win it all. Playing this out, would Harbaugh have left for the NFL earlier after 4 years of banging up against historically great teams?
Despite the agony of those seasons, I'm happy with how things turned out. Falling, getting up, falling again, getting up again, etc - the reward is so much sweeter after fighting through such adversity.
Maybe Joey transfers to UM.
Too soon
For me, without a doubt 2021 OSU. My whole family was there for the game. 2 of us are UM grads and one was a student at UM at the time. Watching the Buckeyes quietly slink out while my daughters danced on the field was one of the highlights of our lives.
This comes to mind for me too. So much frustration released....and we had a very cocky buckeye fan in the row in front of us. He magically quieted down and left before the game was over. Rushing the field after that with my wife was euphoric!!
Alabama probably beats it because the narrative was that Michigan could get to the playoff, but couldn't beat "the best". Of course Washington to secure the title.
Andddddddddd the 2022 win in Columbus to show that 2021 wasn't a one off.
Okay, I'm done!
April 17th, 2024 at 10:33 AM ^
Same here. Nothing will ever beat whooping their ass in the snow. Not even the Rose Bowl or NC game this year, can’t imagine I’ll ever enjoy a game more than that one
April 17th, 2024 at 11:33 AM ^
The ‘21 game was the best college football environment I’ve ever been part of.
It was cool - not “Ice Bowl” frigid. There were snow flurries - but, it wasn’t a blizzard during the game that prevented teams from doing what they wanted. It was two days after Thanksgiving - everyone loved it - the fans - the broadcasters - etc…
And, as a Michigan fan - the result was ideal. Heck, don’t you love it when your opponent - main rival -lets you score (Haskins last TD) so they can get the ball back.
Agreed on 2021 OSU being the best. Rarely is does desperation get to that level, much less get to that level and then get so completely flipped into joy in one day. It was the most vindicating, fulfilling fan experience I've ever had, maybe that one possibly could have
OSU 2022
Agree , only inching out 2021 because it was on their field
April 17th, 2024 at 10:24 AM ^
It also showed that 2021 wasn't a fluke and it was the one that really got into the head of the Bucknuts.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:42 AM ^
More than that. The chalked up to 2021 not just being a fluke, but, their guard was down, and remember they had a "soft" defense that year (Oregon and Utah both ran all over them too), so it wasn't US, it was about THEM.
So they hired that Okie State DC, spent all summer about being "tougher", and felt going into the 2022 game on THEIR turf that normality would return. They were SO sure they'd fixed their "softness" and being at home they'd just start a new winning streak.
Then, in the post-game presser, JJ and DE were sitting at the table, and someone asked Donovan what he saw on that "long run." He shot a grin at JJ and asked, "Which one?" And he and JJ broke into laughter. Yeah. That is what happened.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:54 PM ^
Those two Donovan Edwards runs at the end are my all time favorite moments as a lifelong Michigan fan. I am not an outwardly emotional person watching games, but I was jumping up and down watching that. Absolutely incredible.
Winning against osu in 2022 was one of the best. They could point to the 2021 loss as an "aberration": it was on the road, Michigan was "due" after a long drought, the refs weren't with them, it was snowing, they had the sniffles, it was too cold to play their style, it didn't "mean" as much since they had already lost to Oregon earlier that year, whatever. It wouldn't happen again - not this time, not in their own house with a rabid crowd and an 11-0 record going in, with a full year and a new DC to prepare for whatever Michigan had to offer (and with knowledge by their staff of the "sign stealing", so they were ready to counter that), sunny & unseasonably warm weather perfect for their style. This was their game to reassert their narrative.
Then it happened again. Even worse than the last time - with the Michigan traveling fans reveling in the stands and Michigan players posing for photos with the M flag on their field... confirming that 2021 wasn't a fluke but a sign of things to come. Verification that the world had changed and they had to live with it.
Good points on 2022. All three of the recent OSU wins are some kind of special.
I think the Edwards 75 yard and 85 yard TD runs were two of the greatest plays in Michigan history, but I'd give the game ball to the 2021 win. That set the stage for everything that followed.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:23 AM ^
Well said. 2021 was maybe the most cathartic win Michigan has had in generations, but people could easily write off that season as an aberration like MSU making the CFP a few years prior if we hadn't built off it
Winning decisively in Columbus in '22 was Michigan football announcing loudly that '21 was no mistake. Maybe the game that made CFP nationally realize this program was for real.
I agree with every single word you typed, you are a lyrical genius my friend. Have you considered a career as a writer, I mean your style is titillating, keeps us all on the edge of our seats.
You ARE a hero to us all.
1.) 2022 @ OSU and the ensuing meltdown that is still on going from sad boy nation.
1a.) The Rose Bowl
2.) National Championship. For some reason I was not nervous for this game and had the feeling we would win, but for JH to be standing midfield with the Cartiers on holding the NC trophy up for 1 second before handing it to the players after all the bullshit. Chills.
Depends on how you define, "best." Is that favorite? Is that the best coached / best played / cleanest game? Is that the most important or impactful?
I'll define it myself in my brain...
1. - National Championship
2. (tie) - Rose Bowl
2. (tie) - 2021 OSU
4. - 2021 Iowa/Big Ten Championship
5. (tie) - 2022 OSU
5. (tie) - 2023 OSU
7. - 2019 MSU
8. - 2016 PSU (or the one where Frames is drawing the penis)
9. - 2019 Notre Dame
10. (tie) - 2021 Nebraska
10. (tie) - 2023 MSU
Good list. I think there's a ton of favorites I love equally for different reasons. I'd add 2022 PSU and 2021 Wisconsin as well. The 2021 Wisconsin win was when I really started to believe that season could be something special after the pandemic debacle.
I'd forgotten about '22 PSU. Was that a top 10 matchup? And then we ran for 400 yards lolol
IIRC they were just inside the top 10 at the time we played them. And yeah we absolutely clowned them, that game was great.
That was a weird game, too. Thanks to that fluky pick six and Penn State's defense holding Michigan to three field goals in the first half, Penn State led briefly in the third. At that point it was the kind of game that always makes me nervous, where Michigan was clearly the better team but couldn't get the scoreboard to reflect that.
On the next two drives, though, Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum had long touchdowns and Penn State would never seriously threaten again.
April 17th, 2024 at 10:59 AM ^
I think those 2 long TDs were on back-to-back offensive snaps too, like we scored, they punted, and then the next score came on 1st and 10, and it was just an instant kill shot. They went from being still in the game to buried in like 3 minutes of game clock. It was amazing.
2016 Penn State is a great one! One of my sons was born a few days prior and the weather at home was perfect. Sat and watched the game with all the windows open and just enjoyed the hell out of it.
Came away from that game thinking, “yeah, we SHOULD beat the shit out of Penn State.”
April 17th, 2024 at 10:51 AM ^
Great list. This is such a great question because there are obviously no wrong answers.
For me, 2023 PSU will be one of my favorite wins of all time. Like, forever.
The players, fans, alum all putting "Bet" on social media still gives me chills. Watching Sherrone Moore adapting a plan in-game to push the tumbler to "maximum odds to win," despite it being so unorthodox made me somehow love him even more. Then, the post-game presser where he sounded exactly how all of us felt.
It truly was "Michigan vs. Everybody." And Everybody didn't stand a chance.
Nice call on the 2019 ND game! Interesting trivia point: The leading receiver for Michigan in that game? Mike Sainristil.
I think The Game 2022 was the all-around greatest performance of the Harbaugh era. Absolutely everything was totally on point in that game: the gameplan, the execution, the in-game coaching, just everything. The only thing I can think of that went wrong in that game was that we missed a field goal from 50+. But everything else about that game was clutch. It was an absolute Masterclass in the art of football. And the fact that it came against our biggest rival in their house, a place where we hadn't won in 22 years, was icing on the cake.
April 18th, 2024 at 12:06 AM ^
You’re right about how monumental that game was for the program. You came away from that game thinking, for the first time in decades, that a Nat Championship was finally in the cards.
Those 2 would be mine also, in same order.
2021 OSU was it for me, was the turning point.
Bama followed by 2021 OSU