Examining our history:it may be disappointing, but we are meeting the M football standard. This is who we are.
Here is our yearly W/L record since 1979, including the last 11 years of Bo's M coaching career. This is a nearly 40 year span of time. In those 40 years, we have had fewer than 3 losses 11 times (one of those 11 times was a season with 3 ties under Gary Moeller). Of those 40 years, we have lost fewer than than 2 games 3 times. 3 of 40. So 28 seasons of 40 we have lost at least 3 games.
Many of you call this year "unacceptable," and are very angry, saying "we should expect more," and call BS on any expectation short of the play-offs and B1G title. Fair enough. But what standard are you using? It's certainly not the standard of the last nearly 40 years.
I'll never stop hoping for more, and if we ever won a NC again I'd be delirious with joy. I am disappointed with Harbaugh's record against top ten teams, and the OSU loss depressed me for days. We need more changes, especially on offense, this post season. But it's time to acknowledge the truth: we ARE meeting the program standard under Harbaugh.This is Michigan. This is who we are. A top 20 football program with great academics, a great university, and a program that is run cleanly and doesn't cheat. And loses 2-3 games a year. I only speak for myself, but these facts are setting my future expectations.
1979 Bo Schembechler 8–4
1980 Bo Schembechler 10–2
1981 Bo Schembechler 9–3
1982 Bo Schembechler 8–4
1983 Bo Schembechler 9–3
1984 Bo Schembechler 6–6
1985 Bo Schembechler 10–1–1
1986 Bo Schembechler 11–2
1987 Bo Schembechler 8–4
1988 Bo Schembechler 9–2–1
1989 Bo Schembechler 10–2
1990 Gary Moeller 9–3
1991 Gary Moeller 10–2
1992 Gary Moeller 9–0–3
1993 Gary Moeller 8–4
1994 Gary Moeller 8–4
1995 Lloyd Carr 9–4
1996 Lloyd Carr 8–4
1997 Lloyd Carr 12–0
1998 Lloyd Carr 10–3
1999 Lloyd Carr 10–2
2000 Lloyd Carr 9–3
2001 Lloyd Carr 8–4
2002 Lloyd Carr 10–3
2003 Lloyd Carr 10–3
2004 Lloyd Carr 9–3
2005 Lloyd Carr 7–5
2006 Lloyd Carr 11–2
2007 Lloyd Carr 9–4
2008 Rich Rodriguez 3–9
2009 Rich Rodriguez 5–7
2010 Rich Rodriguez 7–6
2011 Brady Hoke 11–2
2012 Brady Hoke 8–5
2013 Brady Hoke 7–6
2014 Brady Hoke 5–7
2015 Jim Harbaugh 10–3
2016 Jim Harbaugh 10–3
2017 Jim Harbaugh 8–5
2018 Jim Harbaugh 10–3
December 30th, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
No we have not. Record wise, you're right. Historically we've been big ten champs many times. We have none in the last 15 years. That is not who we were. Period
December 30th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
If it's been 15 years since you've done something, those 15 years are probably more indicative of what you are than the years before them are.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:09 PM ^
Annnndddd those B1G championships were SHARED most of the time. Like our shared East Division Champs this year ... Doesn’t exactly make you feel better about the level of excellence happening on the field.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:04 PM ^
That is not who we were. It is now.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:35 PM ^
Alot of that is illusion...
Like lloyd's 5 Big ten titles..
He actually won 2 in 13 years.... the other 3 were split titles only one of which we were the representative. So Thats like saying Harbaugh won the big 10 east this year...
And in the 80' and 90's and early 2000's when Michigan and ND were on every TV set in the midwest and national recruiting wasn't a thing Michigan walked into Ohio and got whoever they wanted,... Michigan outrecruited OSU every year just to win 55% of the games vs them..
December 30th, 2018 at 12:57 PM ^
Exactly. I think it's just the OSU factor. Losing to them annually compounds things.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^
Yeah, compounds things in the ass.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:09 PM ^
This x10000.
Beat OSU consistently (>33% of the time) and a lot of Harbaugh detractors start to quiet. I'll admit, his 0-fer against OSU is one of my biggest criticisms of him and colors much of the rest of my view of him.
December 30th, 2018 at 3:33 PM ^
If I'm completely honest with myself I share this entirely. I can almost forgive bowl losses and a lack of titles with more consistent victory against OSU. We can shake off the bowls so long as we look back on the season and know we knocked off OSU, Sparty, and the Irish.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^
Agree completely. I'm ignoring the RR and Hoke years because they have nothing to do with Harbaugh, but 0-4 is pretty rough. Hopefully now that OSU doesn't have one of the all-time greats at the helm we will see the tide turn.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^
How can you ignore those years? If I was 5 years old and I grew up watching that - I would need to see some sort of consistency before committing. Three 10 win years in 4 years is a great start.
December 31st, 2018 at 10:39 AM ^
I'm ignoring those years because Jim Harbaugh was at Stanford and San Francisco. He had absolutely nothing to do with those years. Fans are shrieking about ten years of results when Jim has been here four 4 years. The ten years have been very rough, but let's not blame the current coach for all of them.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:06 PM ^
I suppose you have to ignore those years, especially the Hoke years. Wouldn't want an 11 win season with a victory over OSU to spoil the meme.
December 30th, 2018 at 4:28 PM ^
You mean the time we beat a 6-7 team that went 3-5 in the conference?
December 30th, 2018 at 10:21 PM ^
You're right. And Harbaugh's win over MSU in 2016 doesn't count for the same reason. Right?
December 31st, 2018 at 9:54 AM ^
Excuse me for not getting excited about beating a mediocre team on sanctions with an interm head coach that was replaced at the end of the season. If that is something to stick a feather in your cap about then good for you. To me, beating a sub .500 team with a fill in coach is nothing to be proud of. It’s not what this program is about. Getting blown out and letting your biggest rival hang over 60 on you is not acceptable.
December 31st, 2018 at 10:44 AM ^
What exactly is the point you're making? Do you think Hoke was better than Harbaugh? Because that's a dumb take. Hoke beat the worst Ohio State team in almost 20 years.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
Is this supposed to make me feel better or worse?
December 30th, 2018 at 1:48 PM ^
It's supposed to make you feel better for feeling worse
December 30th, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^
Some of those Bo years include losses to top-5 teams like Bowden-era FSU and Notre Dame, yes?
The thing about the Harbaugh era that is kinda disappointing is that we WIN pretty much all the expected games but lose against similar or top ranked competition. This is a disturbing trend. Some of the losses are coin flip close like FSU in bowl and vs Ohio but they are still losses.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:18 PM ^
As was often said yesterday, 1-9 vs. top 10 teams. Not good at all!
December 30th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Bo never lost to FSU.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Each day we die a little more.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^
Holy historically mediocre thank God for shitty Big Ten in the 80s.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:05 PM ^
Yep, just with extremely overpaid coaches and a hugely disproportionate investment in facilities.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:05 PM ^
Someone should tell Michigan to stop advertising itself as the winningest program in the land and just settle for being above average.
If you want lower expectations then quit fucking emailing me for donations and quit recruiting and marketing yourselves like you’re a championship program.
Only then will fans stop giving a shit about expectations
This post is dumb.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^
Back away from the keyboard and chill, you'll be back just like the rest of us. Michigan is the winningest program in football - your whiny attempt at revisionist history doesn't change that one iota.
Drink a beer, smoke some weed, order some new ball lifters off Amazon...hell, watch our basketball team. They're pretty good and might change your shitty attitude a bit.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:59 PM ^
I’m rebuking OP bc the guy is clearly content with accepting where we are.
If Michigan is content with where they are, then they should stop marketing themselves to fans like they want to be where Clemson and Bama are.
Thats my point.
December 30th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
Well to counter two of your points, first, show me where exactly M markets themselves like Bama or Clemson or "wanting to be that." The football coaches discuss that, because every coach in America does the exact same, but that's not marketing, and M does not sell seats that way. Second, I'm saying NC expectations and then anger are completely misplaced, because that hasn't been reality for 40 years other than one solitary year. I hope for NC's, but I don't expect NC's because I live in the world where M exists, not some phony Bama or Clemson expectation.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:07 PM ^
Thank you for looking up those records because it puts it all in perspective. This is the hard cold reality of Michigan football. I keep hearing the same things - from the ticket, national media, friends / family - about how we SHOULD be better. No ... We WISH we were better. And that’s the rub of this season - we are who we are vs who we want to be.
Jim may very well bring us a B1G championship and / or the CFP. But that would be overachieving for our team - not the yearly standard. I, for one, am just going to enjoy the ride.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:10 PM ^
Need to change the words to "Hail to Mediocrity."
December 30th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
we will beat Middle Tennessee by 45 and be well on our way to national championship talk before you know it. Its an unbreakable cycle
December 30th, 2018 at 9:45 PM ^
Yup we are Sisyphus. I'm going to enjoy the times when we are pushing the rock up the hill but brace for the inevitable.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^
Bo and Carr didnt have 3-4 gimme games against Western Michigan, an academy and Rutgers and Maryland in conference.
The 1994 team that went 8-4, went 2-2 against top 10 teams. Should've been 3-1 if not for a hail mary by Kordell Stewart.
Harbaugh is 1-9 against top 10 teams for his career here.
Michigans had a much tougher path to 10 wins before conference expansion.
If Bo had the benefit of being able to lose 1 game and still play for a natty, how many playoffs would we have been in? He also beat Ohio State 50% of the time.
Stop sugar coating Harbaughs failure
December 30th, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
Bo and Carr didnt have 3-4 gimme games against Western Michigan, an academy and Rutgers and Maryland in conference.
No, but Bo had plenty of "Big 2, Little 8" games where the game was essentially over at halftime (and in the 70's you could walk in for free at halftime -- the ticket takers left at halftime for all but the OSU or MSU games). We didn't have Rutgers and Maryland but we had their equivalents several times over. Maybe one or two of the Little 8 were decent, the rest were punching bags for UM and OSU.
In Bo's 70's typically 0 or 1 of the Little 8 would be ranked in the Top 20. In the 80's 1 or 2 would be.
By the early 90's it was more like 4-5 ranked teams, and as high as 7 Big 10 teams in the Top 20 (in 1999).
The 2000's averaged 4 ranked Big 10 teams and in this decade it's been 3-6, of course with more than ten teams in the conference.
Bo enjoyed a softer overall schedule than subsequent coaches. Not that he wasn't a very good coach, but let's not revise history.
December 30th, 2018 at 3:01 PM ^
The parity in CFB is head and shoulders greater than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Today it's much more difficult to beat the old doormats NW, IU, Purdue and Wisconsin, for example, than it was in 1988. The Wisconsin of today would demolish the Wisconsin of 1988. Hard fought games take their toll on a team as the season wears on.
I'm as disappointed as anyone finishing the season with two straight losses but I also do not believe we are in bad shape as a program.
December 30th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
The Wisconsin of today would demolish the Wisconsin of 1988.
Would the Michigan of today even beat the Michigan of 1988? How different would it look?
December 30th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
The gap between Elite college football teams and Michigan is huge. Our recruiting classes are solid so I have to blame it on schematics and coaching. Changes need to happen.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
Co-sign
December 30th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
Exactly, people on the board think we were at Alabama levels before falling off to where we are now. Statistically, Jim is above the rest of coaches, but below Bo. (I ran some numbers).
We have won only 7 major bowls in 50 years. Only 64% of the seasons in those 50 years ended up with a 3 loss or better season. So this season is pretty much "average" for Michigan.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
Of those with much, much is expected. If one were to plot our W/L record and our annual recruiting class ratings against Sparty, Wiscy etc I’m confident M would look to be grossly under achieving.
Hell, Purdue (crapping the bed like M notwithstanding) and Minny look comparatively more ascendant than M. And how many times did any of the Bo, Mo, Lloyd regimes win 10 in a row only to get blown out giving up 100+ in their last 2 games? Sure 10-3 seems decent, unless you actually watch.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:28 PM ^
Stop being reasonable. AND rational!
December 30th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
From 2005 - 2015 Michigan had 2-3 relevant seasons because of retiring Lloyd, Dick Rod, and Hokey Pokey. This means the average kid born from 1999-2002 being recruited to the school would be 5-8 years old when this down turn started. Although some will study up on the history, parents' wisdom, and the look at recent results, they view Michigan with as an above average football school. They are kind of nice, but they are no Bama, OSU, LSU, OU, etc.
What does this mean - Harbaugh needs to have numerous 10 win relevant season. This will result in the low 3-star becomes a high 3-star, the low 4-star become a high 4-star. Then you will start seeing better results against the top 10. It is going to take some more time, and some luck. I am hoping for 11-12 win seasons the next 2 years. Slow and steady improvement - think of Tom Osborne at Nebraska.
December 30th, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^
Acceptance is the way to freedom and peace!
Looking at it like this, Wew does it bring some clarity.
Crud. It is what it is
December 30th, 2018 at 2:18 PM ^
Doesn't matter what profession you are in. When you pay world class wages, you expect world class results. Bringing in Harbaugh, and stepping up with coaching pay and facilities improvements, many of us thought that would translate into a level playing field with the elite teams in the country.
In reality, our expectations were too high. Harbaugh is a very good coach. I am not sure if many teams outside of OSU can run with SEC recruiting. Even the West Coast teams, loaded with a talent rich region, is struggling to keep up with the SEC.
At the end of the day, as long as Michigan keeps up their standards for students and run a clean program 10 wins will be Michigans benchmark. Every now and then, the planets will align like 97 and Michigan will win the B1G and possibly compete for a National Championship. I guess, I am good with that. I want Michigan to run a clean program, even if it results in a few less wins.
December 30th, 2018 at 3:34 PM ^
Totally agree with your whole post. One aspect of the expectations I have is recruiting--OSU has a massive advantage over us--Ohio. A comparatively huge talent advantage in numbers of quality HS players, vs. what we have available in Michigan--where we compete somewhat with MSU for players, and OSU has zero real competition in their home state, other than the 1-2 guys we can get each years from there.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:23 PM ^
Title is so right. Nitpicking the details you could say were better or worse than that standard but essentially, we are a 10-3 program that doesn’t win a lot of big games. Kind of like our history over the last 50 years. Could be better, could be a lot worse. Oh well...
December 30th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
Just really sucks to be a U of M fan right now. It was supposed to be a great year. Instead it ends up with two bad losses and giving up 100 points in two games even with a "NFL pipeline defense" and a "great" coach who would lead the football program back to the rainbow.
Can't beat a top 10 team, and can't hardly remember the last win over the Buckeyes.
62 points to the Buckeyes!!
Where's my whiskey?
December 30th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
Many people keep referring to conference championships in the past. How many of those conference championships were co-champions? Also, with multiple teams. That can't happen these days. It makes a little bit of a difference.
December 30th, 2018 at 2:48 PM ^
Interesting data. Over that time frame, only one other 4 year stretch where we won at least 10 games in 3 out of the 4 years. To say Harbaugh is doing an awful job and needs fired immediately seems a little over dramatic. I want championships as much as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean the season is a total failure if that doesn’t happen. From what i remembe from pre season expectations, this team performed at or surpassed what most people expected. Try to keep some perspective.
Having said all that, playcalling and general game management has been really bad. That is the area Jim and staff need to answer for and improve upon the most, IMHO.