Is this Wisconsin game the most important of the Harbaugh era?
So as you might deduce from the title I am inclined to think that this Saturday evening's tilt with the Badgers is a pretty big one. As I thought about the viability of my premise, that this game is the most important in the Harbaugh era, I do realize it's not against MSU or OSU which would traditionally be the games that we would attach such significant meaning too. However, just looking at the present state of our program, both real and perceived, I think a win this weekend really sets us up for a strong season, and hopefully momentum going forward as a program.
Why this game? Some thoughts . . .
When Harbaugh took over every national pundit in the country was predicting a National Championship in 3-5 years, and at the least a return to national prominence. A good first few seasons, crazy and awesome satellite camp and recruiting stories, twitter wars, trips overseas, all mixed in with some disappointing but very close loses had us back in the spotlight with the arrow pointing up. Then last year happened . . . the arrow evened out. Real or perceived it's where we are, and now this season is supposed to be make or break for Harbaugh.
Saturday -
The atmosphere will be amazing! A Saturday night prime time game against a conference foe who had/has aspirations of a BIG 10 title and beyond. The weather looks to be perfect with no rain and the temp around 50 degrees, perfect fall weather for football. The Big House should be a full house under the lights for a national audience and recruits to take in. College Game Day gets things started early as everyone should be excited about the day.
The schedule may now set up to be a bit more manageable than originally thought. We were looking at a bonafide BIG 10 murderers row of sorts with Wisconsin, MSU, and Penn State all in a row who all defeated us last year. Beat Wisconsin at home, while an injury depleted and emotionally down MSU (see post on Valenti) has to travel to Penn State for a very physical game that they lose. We then get to visit a very down, but admittedly desperate 3-3 MSU team with our confidence high and win a close one. Then a bye week to heal and prepare for a Penn State game at home where we hopefully learned some things from last year.
The perception of Harbaugh and the team at present is that we can't win the big games especially in Oct/Nov and this reputation has been earned. A win Saturday on the biggest stage helps to erase that thought, and brings the team much needed confidence . . . the arrow goes back up.
This all sounds really good . . . . in my head! What do you guys think? Exclude the reasons if you want and/or insert your own. How important is this game and does it carry with it a water shed moment of sorts?
October 10th, 2018 at 1:09 PM ^
There is no game on the remainder of our schedule more important than the one you're going down the tunnel to play today.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:27 PM ^
My high school coach used to start every practice week by asking "Why is this the most important game of the season?" The answer, "because its the next one."
October 10th, 2018 at 1:43 PM ^
I know, I thought it was a trick question too
October 10th, 2018 at 2:31 PM ^
"NOW LETS GO !!!"
October 10th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
No. However, I do think it is the most important for this season, as a win here will inspire a lot of confidence moving forward, and a loss would be a blow to the postseason hopes we have for this team. It is not a "must-win" game for Harbaugh's legacy, but would be a huge boost to our perception of this team.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
Honestly I don't even think it's the most important in the next 2 weeks.
Of all the games we could possibly lose left on the schedule, this is the one we can afford to. We would still be in control of our own destiny in the conference. Lose against PSU or OSU, and we aren't. This is a 'nice to have' game, not a must-win. Unless you want to make the CFP, but IMO I kind of don't want to bother with the CFP this year - that'd only result in getting murderstomped by Bama in the best case scenario. I'd much rather take a conference win and a Rose Bowl berth that we would actually have a chance to win.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
I disagree with this so hard.
You want the Rose Bowl over the Playoff because it is a game "we could win?" The fu...? This can't be the majority view. If it is, that is kind of sad.
And you can't just view this game in a vacuum. Whether or not we perform in this game will have a huge impact on the rest of the season. To me, this game is the difference between possibly 11-1 or 10-2 and like 8-4 or 7-5. It is absolutely imperative to win this game.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:50 AM ^
I think it makes sense to a degree. Imagine we win the conference title then go to the Rose Bowl and win that game. We'd be sitting at what, 12, 13 wins? With a Rose Bowl victory that we haven't had in how long? How much momentum did MSU gain when they got shutout in the CFP?
Like it or not, we aren't at the level of competing with Clemson, Bama, Georgia, etc. I just don't see how our offense could keep up. So while obviously making the CFP would be a massive massive accomplishment, I can kinda understand the logic behind NOT wanting the CFP just yet.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
I'm just not ready to concede that yet. Alabama may be the best team in the last 50 years, or they may be a team who's best win was over a now unranked Texas A@M team and who won't play another legit opponent until 3 weeks from now. (When they play an LSU team that just lost to Florida, who has been Harbaugh's boy-toy since he got to Michigan).
October 10th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
Agreed. In fact, I think I like our chances in a meaningful game that Harbaugh has a month to prepare the team for.
Entirely possible that we win it all if we make it to the big show.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
Harbaugh had all summer to prepare for ND. He had a month to prepare for FSU and S.C.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
I'm saying this is one of the biggest Harbaugh supporters out there: it didn't really help for South Carolina. Or FSU, for that matter. So why would it help for Saban and Alabama?
October 10th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
Is it that you want everybody to just admit that Alabama would blow us out and that we would rather not play them? I just don't think you are going to get many takers on that.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
I'm just trying to provide rationale for my viewpoint that a better outcome of this season would be a conference championship and win in the Rose Bowl rather than a potential embarrassment in the CFP.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:26 PM ^
those can't be the only choices
October 10th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^
Because a playoff game means something. The FSU and SC games were consolation prizes. He gets a pass for ND, new QB and bad OL, etc.
October 10th, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^
Hopefully you are just a fan and not a coach of the U of M football team. That's all.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:50 AM ^
Why can't you view this game in a vacuum? The guys will not try as hard down the road if we lose this, even though they can still win the conference? I don't buy that at all.
And yeah, I realize my opinion on the CFP is probably not popular. I just don't see the point in going just to get stomped by Bama.
October 10th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^
i'd rather win the rose bowl than lose in the playoffs
October 10th, 2018 at 2:21 PM ^
But neither of those are a certainty.
I'd rather go to the playoff with a 15% chance of winning it all (which is probably about what it would be) than to go the Rose Bowl with a 50% chance of winning.
Why even play or follow or sport if you don't aspire to be on top? This is a terrible take similar to the "I'd rather win some games in the NIT than lose in the NCAA tourney" which is what some people were saying mid-season last year. And then we went to the title game. Because we gave ourselves a chance. That's all you can ask for is a chance.
October 10th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^
This is college football. No one is invincible. Ask the 2005 USC Trojans.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
I wholeheartedly agree with your last paragraph. We NEED a win against a good team to get us rolling and I think this is a perfect opportunity.
To your first point, I wouldn't say I'd rather have the Rose Bowl but I'm honestly not thinking about CFP at all. It's been so long since Michigan has won a conference title (I have only been a fan since '08) that that seems like a first step I want to see before I can even think about National Title. I'm not saying I'd rather be IN the Rose Bowl than the CFP but I'd rather have a Big Ten Title than a loss in the CFP. In other words I'd rather be 2016 PSU than 2016 OSU. Maybe that is kind of sad considering they even lost to USC in the Rose Bowl but its been so long since we've won it that I'm fixated on the conference.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
My view is similar.
I would much rather win the conference and the Rose bowl than win the conference and lose (and possibly get embarrassed) in the CFP, which I feel is the best case scenario if we go to the CFP.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
Best case scenario in going to CFP is that they win a national championship.
October 10th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
I just don't see it. But hopefully they prove me wrong.
October 10th, 2018 at 7:15 PM ^
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October 11th, 2018 at 8:24 AM ^
Injuries happen to key players all the time that change the fortunes of a season.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
By your own logic, it is imperative to win every game, robbing this one of any special significance. We want to win 10 or 11 games, we can only afford to lose 1 or 2.
I also don’t believe that the performance in one game has a huge impact on any subsequent games, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
You have to win the B1G before you can be considered for the national title. I would rather just do that every year. I don't really care if we win the national title as long as we win the B1G. We don't cheat so we aren't really competing for the national title every year. We are however in contention to win our conference year in and year out. That's what I care about.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^
I'd much rather lose a playoff game than win a non-playoff bowl.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
I'd much rather compete for a playoff game than a non-playoff bowl. But, if I was 100% certain we'd lose the playoff game (which you never are) and win the non-playoff game (which you never are), I'd take the later.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^
That's ridiculous. The wheels aren't going to come off if M loses this. It's the difference between 11-1 and 10-2 or 10-2 and 9-3 but that's it. One game.
It's the least important game left on the schedule. It would be great to win, of course. But any other game would be worse to lose if we were to only lose one more game.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
"It's the least important game left on the schedule."
That is truly laughable. This is a Top 15 matchup at home, at night, with both conference and Playoff implications, with f-ing College Gameday in town, and every college football recruit and fan in the country watching it. It is a huge game.
October 10th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
It can be both a huge game and the least important game left on the schedule since "huge" is relative.
And yeah, the GameDay stuff is fun, but I define "importance" by how desperately you need/want to win a given game.
It's impossible to argue that we need to win this game more than we need to win the MSU, PSU and OSU games since those games are 1) against rivals, two of which are on the road and 2) against divisional teams and thus have a much higher impact on M's chances to win the division which is a prerequisite to going to the conf title game.
So then it's a matter of whether it's more important to win this high profile game or not dorf a Rutgers or (more realistically) the IU game. And that's debatable. Does winning a high profile game benefit the program more than dorfing one of those games hurt the program? I don't know. Maybe.
There is one that that is certain: M can lose to Wisconsin and still make the playoff. It can't lose to Rutgers or IU and still make the playoff which is why this is the game we can most withstand losing and hence is, by that definition, the least important game left on the schedule (but still huge, because they all are when you're trying win the division and go the the playoff!).
October 10th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
I agree. Although we would likely control our destiny losing any single game except PSU or OSU. I would be shocked if MSU wins out in the B1G. So I think we can really drop any B1G game.
As for the CFP, I just don't think we are anywhere near the same level as Alabama.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
No one is at Bama's level. We think, because they never really play anyone.
But I would rather play a pro-style offense as opposed to a spread.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
Folks say that every year and yet Bama has only gone undefeated once under Saban. I know it's hard to believe with the way ESPN rides their D%^& all day, talking how they could beat the Browns. It's just 11 guys on a football field like any other Saturday.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
You were 100% correct until you said "I kind of don't want to bother with the CFP this year."
I mean, dude. C'mon. That's insane. Of course we want to go to the CFP. But if we're going to lose just one game this year, this is the game to lose.
I'm even going to make the argument that we'd have a decent shot at the playoff, if this is the only loss of the year.
M would be 11-2 with a loss to a good Wisconsin team that would later be avenged in the title game. And then a loss to a likely playoff team.
That's probably good enough to get in over a one loss ACC champ (because look at Clemson's schedule, they likely won't have a win over a ranked team AND they'd have a loss to an iffy team), and then it's likely the PAC12 and Big 12 champs also have two losses.
Someone is going to get in with two losses sooner than later and this scenario for Michigan (one loss avenged, the other to a playoff team) is the most likely scenario for how it will happen.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
If you want to be the best, you've got to play and beat the best. You give me the choice between going to the Rose Bowl and going to the CFP to play for it all, I'm leaving the Rose Bowl in the dust every single time. My ND friend doesn't care if they get matched up with Bama. He's been saying "at least we get there and get a chance."
Would we lose to Alabama in the CFP? Smart money says yes. I wouldn't go into that game expecting us to win. But I think it would be a reasonable expectation for us to compete with Alabama. There is a lot of talent on this team, and I know Harbaugh would draft up a great gameplan. Let's say we only lose by 7-10 points. That tells all the top recruits out there that they can win big at a place like Michigan too. That Harbaugh has the program this close to winning it all. It says you're one of the four best teams in the country, if not one of the two best.
I'll take that over beating Washington in the Rose Bowl where critics can still come back and say "you didn't prove yourself against the best there is." And for those of you scared about getting your asses kicked by Alabama, did OSU getting curbstomped by Clemson 31-0 do anything to REALLY tarnish the reputation of Meyer's program? No. He still reeled in a top-3 class, and they were still picked as playoff favorites for 2017 the day after the 2016 season ended.
October 10th, 2018 at 1:42 PM ^
Don't want the CFP? That's a loser mentality. That should be the goal every year. Not like we have the luxury of being picky here.
October 10th, 2018 at 2:37 PM ^
This is such bitch thinking. I would much rather be proud that we made the final four than not at all...every other team other than a few would be stomped by Alabama. Would you have rather not made the title game all instead of being stomped by Villanova?
October 10th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^
Important game...yes. More important than OSU 2016.....no. That game set the program back 2 years.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
But now, here we are again. So, while I agree that the 2016 OSU game was absolutely massive, at the time, I think this game is every bit as big as that game as we stand here today.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^
I think its bigger because in 2016 there was no "Harbaugh can't win the big ones" narrative out there. Getting rid of that is important for recruiting, and also that narrative has grown big enough it has to be in the player's minds now and they have to start winning some big games if they are ever going to get the confidence up to win really big games like Ohio State, Big Ten title games, and CFP games that you'd reach with an OSU win.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
Yeah, he needs this game. The 2016 OSU game was in his second year. Nobody expected us to be in that position so soon and he was to a certain degree playing with house money. After last year, losses to State and OSU (again) and the loss to ND this year, he has to have this game.
Granted, I don't think typical "hot seat" discussions really apply to Harbaugh and his circumstance here, but a loss here and a lot of the good will he accumulated in terms of good will and coaching acumen will evaporate. Huge game for Harbaugh.
October 10th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
This won't get rid of that narrative, because people will just point to "ranked teams on the road". This also isn't a rival, so won't get rid of that narrative.
This game isn't as big as 2016 OSU because that game would have nearly directly set Michigan up for a playoff spot (with only Wisconsin in the way, a team Michigan already beat more handily than the score indicated). Even if Michigan wins against Wisconsin, they still have @MSU, they still have vs PSU, and they still have @OSU, and the B1G championship game. This would only make a minor dent in the national perspective. It's a big game, no doubt, it would help the perception of the program, but there are several that were bigger than this game.
October 10th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
And an @MSU win won't count because they're "not good this year."
October 10th, 2018 at 3:32 PM ^
So basically all of their wins from 2008-2014 don't count, except probably 2011. Got it.