We lost plenty in the Bo era. Bo was 5-12 in bowl games, including 2-8 in Rose Bowls, and lost games to ND in especially excruciating ways (e.g. the Rocket Ismail game). Bo never won a national championship. If MGoBlog had existed during Bo's era, there would have been plenty of MGoBoard meltdowns about predictable playcalling, inability to defend mobile QBs, etc etc.

Here was Bo's record in the 1980's: 10-2, 9-3, 8-4, 9-3, 6-6, 10-1-1, 11-2, 8-4, 9-2-1, 10-2.

Here is Harbaugh's record in the 2010's: 10-3, 10-3, 8-5.

Not that different, from my vantage point. Bo's best team of that group, 1985, was not that different from Harbaugh's best team, 2016. And Bo's schedule was generally much easier than Harbaugh's, especially within the Big Ten, where usually only OSU was any good. Penn State joined the conference after Bo retired.

I think if that game is at Michigan Stadium, it's a 21+ point victory.

Michigan will continue to do things the right way and suffer the consequences which is incredibly sad.

The consequences being losing games to programs who dont mind having rapists and racists on their team (glares towards East Lasing) or not attracting top notch coaches because some of the top recruits can't cut it academically. 

The Jim Harbaugh that was at Stanford or San Fran could have.  Sadly, we do not have that Jim Harbaugh on our sideline.  We have some sort of neutered/coke zero/edited for television version of that guy, and that's the big elephant in the room that needs to be addressed immediately!

It would require Michigan to go deep down the bagman, cover up, etc. route. It hurts that I'm not sure when/if we'll win another national title, but I'm not sure I'd trade who we are to get wade in the muck with so many other schools

Honestly, I don't see why the season can't end like that.  Save for the tackles - the OT position worries me.  But if that gets up to a bare minimum grade of 'serviceable', there is nothing that can stop them from winning those games.  And I'm betting that it improves to serviceable later in the season.

I am not predicting those wins, but I am saying the opportunity is real to win all three.

I think this sentiment is representative of the sensationalization of everything in our culture lately.  To keep things interesting, seemingly everything has to be the last-chance-ever or the most-critical-game-ever or the most-important-election-ever.  The reality is much more boring.  This is one game.  It does not define Michigan's reality.  Michigan will continue to be a power program so long as people keep being interested in it and it has access to a giant bucket of money.

People also constantly seem to forget that football seasons are often defined by a few moments in a few big games.  We have not come through in those few moments over the past 10-15 years.  That combined with some bad coaching hires is what gives us our record.  No curse, and nothing that keeps us from being at the level of other power programs.

You seem to suggest that "success inequality" for lack of a better term is what's causing our struggles, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Look at MSU and Wisconsin - two programs that have never been more successful than they have been in the last ten years despite not getting nearly the level of talent your supposed "small handful of schools" are getting.

Even Clemson climbed to the top getting good but not elite talent from top to bottom and Oklahoma has been a regular playoff participant recruiting worse than M has.

This is a very simple coaching issue.  Every program in America (except, #%@&ing OSU) has experienced a major down period when they didn't have great coaching.  That's the reason parity is stronger than ever in college football. You're only as good as your coach.  There aren't programs that can ride their reputation and exposure like they could pre-BCS era.

There are few remaining "institutional" advantages any program has other than an ability to pay and hire a good coach.  So if you make mistakes with coaching hires like Michigan has, Alabama has, USC has, Miami has, Florida has, Texas has, you're going to be bad.

That's not to Harbaugh was a bad hire,  that was a great hire, he just hasn't been able to make good coaching hires on the offensive side of the ball and/or hasn't given up enough control to a better coach (same mistake RichRod made on defense).  I hope he figures it out.

This is a key, under-appreciated point: the level of competition Michigan faces every year is far higher than it has ever been. OSU and MSU are playing at historically high levels, and PSU is a top-15 team most years. Add in Wisconsin, a tough non-conference game, and a bowl game, and that's 6 guaranteed tough matchups every year.

I like your optimism by in large but I’m concerned that coming up short in those key moments has become more of a pattern than a rare, random occurance. There was a time, about 40yrs worth, when when more often than not Michigan came through in those critical moments. But lately that seems much more the exception than the rule, I just can’t put my finger on what has changed. I mean, if you continuously shoot yourself in the foot, at some point, it’s probably prudent to start to consider why your aim is so far off.