Harbaugh LITERALLY 1 win from 3 playoffs
Im not sure most of the people on this board realize; Jim Harbaugh is one win away from making the college playoffs in three different seasons .
1) Once in a lifetime muffed punt vs MSU
2) Bad spot vs OSU and on the last drive (from 30) Taylor Decker had a MASSIVE non holding call on 3rd and 15 (on a Braxton Miller scramble) ,shouldve been called and replayed the down from the 40 yd line with a 3rd and 25 .instead of a 18 yd scramble and first down
3) Ohio St blowout win
January 8th, 2021 at 5:25 PM ^
He is also 22 losses away from being undefeated and just 5 wins away from beating OSU 5 times.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:28 PM ^
Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha
Wow.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:28 PM ^
Jim Harbaugh has had 3-5 losses every single year of his coaching tenure at Michigan. He can’t and I repeat he can’t win on the road against a good ranked team. His teams are lifeless in those game and this board tried to get on a soap box about a second half in the PSU game they still lost in 19!!
The OP can talk about how “close” Jim was but the facts are he hasn’t got it done. Based on the last 6 years there is ample evidence that he won’t get it done..
Stop finding everything possible to scapegoat Jim’s failure. He can’t inspire kids. He can’t relate to people who aren’t like him. This alone makes him a crappy teacher and incapable of creating the correct winning culture necessary. For crying out loud every Monday in his PC he says he hasn’t watched film yet. That is unacceptable.
So Michigan fans can continue to make the excuses but if you take a second and examine similar situations around the sporting world the next year is rarely better in fact for the most part it usually leads to a firing.
Warde is delaying the inevitable
January 8th, 2021 at 10:16 PM ^
That msu loss was on him. 10 seconds left, ball near mid field,sparty needs a td, only a block punt loses the game,during the TO you make it abundantly clear to the punter that he falls on the ball if there is a bad snap. A loss like that @ home is really bad for a first year coach trying to build momentum.
He’s gotta recruit better, pure and simple. I think 2 of the last 4 recruiting classes had ZERO top 100 players? That’s just wrong @ a national brand like UM. 19/21 in one class had no P5 offers. Wtf? You can sign classes like @ UM over the phone a week before the early signing day. Why even bother spending millions on recruiting and marketing. You need top 100 players if you want to compete for championships. First, secure your state, then recruit where you have had success against the home teams,psu, Illinois,Minnesota,Wisconsin and the over looked kids in Ohio. He’s got a long road ahead of him. Hire young energetic up and coming coaches. Ex players from the nfl.
January 9th, 2021 at 11:29 AM ^
How many of the top 100 players are serious enough students to go to Michigan? Bacon asserts that half of the top 300 players are not on Michigan’s list due to this. Are we going to change that and take more of these players and provide them with academic support? Is that the “plan” going forward that JH & WM discussed? ?
January 8th, 2021 at 5:30 PM ^
Nobody is unlucky forever.
Except Michigan?
Go Blue.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
EXCUSES!!!! MORE FUCKING EXCUSES!!!
January 8th, 2021 at 5:32 PM ^
This is just sad.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:32 PM ^
We unfortunately play in the same division as 1 of the 3 semi-pro college football teams in the country. Bama is slightly better than the other 2 IMO, but the dropoff from Bama, OSU and Clemson programs year after year to the rest of the college football is huge.
If UM played in the Pac 12 or Big 12, and OSU wasnt our main rival, Harbaugh would have multiple playoff appearances and blowout losses already, just like Notre Dame.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:12 PM ^
Unfortunately we'll never know about another conference...
Michigan has one tie for first in the B1G East in 6 years.
The other 5 years, Michigan has been 3rd or worse, that means they finished behind someone other than OSU...
If Michigan had 6 finishes in 2nd place (or tied for first) in the B1G East division, you'd have an argument
Not sure why people cling to this narrative when its so demonstrably wrong
January 8th, 2021 at 8:52 PM ^
We won 2 games this year. Our losses were embarrassments. Our win was against Rutgers. In fucking overtime. Stop assuming we can beat anyone with Harbaugh
January 8th, 2021 at 9:29 PM ^
Counter-factuals and alternative history stories are entertaining but we don't live in a hypothetical world, we live in this one. And in this one we are in the same conference and division as OSU. We aren't even their bridesmaid with our finishes outside of the BIG East top 2, we are more like the third wheel. No more ifs. Like Sean Connery told Nicholas Cage in "The Rock":
January 8th, 2021 at 5:32 PM ^
This is one of the worst ones.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:34 PM ^
Your point?
January 8th, 2021 at 5:34 PM ^
Its amazing how something thats not true becomes something people think is true if it gets repeated enough.
2015...wtf man? That team had 2 losses going into OSU. They would have had to win the Big Ten championship game in 2016 and 2018 to make the playoff. They were never once one game away.
Christ.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:53 PM ^
Harbaugh apologists living in their own world. Sad that we have to go through this shit for one more fucking season. Best part we go 9-3 and the lemmings come back full force to defend him
January 8th, 2021 at 5:56 PM ^
We are all very aware of his shortcomings.
January 8th, 2021 at 5:57 PM ^
And you’re not even right about 2015
January 8th, 2021 at 5:57 PM ^
What the fuck is this? Gimme a break. Number two still has a lot of ifs, but I get it, can get on board.
Juwan Howard is our basketball coach.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:09 PM ^
2015 wouldn’t have made it even if he beat OSU.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:11 PM ^
Thanks. This makes me feel much better.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:16 PM ^
This is literally the dumbest post of the day.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:20 PM ^
I'm not good at math... but that appears to be 3 victories from 3 different years
January 8th, 2021 at 6:23 PM ^
I know others have mentioned your mistakes here but I'll pile on:
1. Take away the muffed punt and OSU would have gone to the playoffs since they curb-stomped Harbaugh in Ann Arbor that year, finishing the Big 10 season with just one loss to MSU.
2. It was JT Barrett, not Braxton Miller. I know it's confusing because there are so many OSU dual threat QBs who have run roughshod over Michigan these last 15 years. Regardless of what team you are, if your chance of winning depends on a holding call in the 4th quarter against OSU in Columbus, you're probably not going to win. I know it's bullshit but it ain't changing. What sucks most is Michigan really doesn't get the same kind of home cooking that OSU does. Not that they don't get ANY home cooking, but I vividly recall in 2011 Michigan almost lost because a controversial spot for a 4th quarter TD was OVERTURNED despite the lack of indisputable evidence. But I digress. Point is, figure out how to get the home cookin' OSU does or don't let your games depend on one missed call.
3. The blowout losses, especially to OSU, are THE number 1 problem. It's a trend. Three of Harbaugh's five games against OSU have been absolute slaughters. This year would have been a slaughter too if not for the cancellation.
And in ALL of these, Michigan would still have had to win the BTCG. So Harbaugh was 3 wins away in 2015, and 2 wins away in 2016 and 2018. Incredible.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:17 PM ^
Agreed. When the game plan is to rely on the officiating you are just asking for bad things to happen. Gotta take it out of the refs hands and leave no doubt. Not the game plan of winners. This is the way unprepared, unmotivated, and intimidated teams play.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:25 PM ^
Michigan dominated the 2016 Ohio State game with a broken quarterback. They out-schemed 2017 Ohio State with a bad quarterback. They should be 6-0 vs Michigan State in all honesty, the fluke 2015 game is somewhat forgivable but should totally fall on coaching. The 2017 game plan sucked and this year, well we won’t go there. I believe Harbaugh can right the ship if he wants to, he didn’t forget how to coach but I also believe he can do better with some things.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:31 PM ^
Keep telling yourself this is indicative of program momentum......
January 8th, 2021 at 6:36 PM ^
Close only counts in horseshoes. And hand grenades. Oh. And archery. And probably a few other things too. But it doesn’t count in Big Ten football, I know that.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:37 PM ^
Kay but we DIDN’T win them and our program doesn’t appear to be close to replicating those seasons right now, let alone winning the games we would need to win like those ones.
So what’s your point?
January 8th, 2021 at 6:41 PM ^
This post is LITERALLY not correct.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:49 PM ^
Post of the double kind
January 8th, 2021 at 6:51 PM ^
Braxton? Wasn't Taylor Decker a Minnesots TE?
But sure, you're not wrong about 2016. Though we still had to beat Wisconsin. But here we are in 2021 (post-2020) after a more than abysmal season and 2 hamblastings by OSU the preceding years...and a future of at least 2-3 years before being highly competitive again. It's a mess and more about the negative trend than "what was" 4 years ago.
January 8th, 2021 at 6:53 PM ^
We get it. Harbaugh has raised the floor but not the ceiling for the program.
Now we just gotta hope for a Clemson-like miracle on year seven
January 8th, 2021 at 6:53 PM ^
Well, that's the glass half full attitude. It's all supposition and doesn't change the past.
(I like the mutliverse comment above) It may happened in another universe and OH State would have been 2 and 4 this season.
January 8th, 2021 at 7:33 PM ^
Keep this guy around.
I’m talking about the OP.
Go Blue.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:14 PM ^
Yes, this is entirely the problem. It is always a "woulda, coulda, shoulda" or "if only this didn't happen" excuse that reflects a passive reaction or taking our foot off of the gas, rather than a proactive approach to putting our opponents away. There is a mentality of playing not to lose rather than playing to win. The program needs a new sense of urgency along with the pride to feel that losing as often and in as embarrassing fashions as they do is inexcusable and a blight on the history of program. That fire is not there and they are always the laughingstock team on the wrong side of epic collapses, comebacks, or beatdowns. Just look at the highlight reels. Rarely does Michigan look like conquering heros. Time to find some gumption. Not just a Harbaugh problem, this goes back to Bump Elliot and Bo's teams.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:15 PM ^
Still a has been. Woulda coulda shoulda.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:29 PM ^
Do you know there’s a big 10 championship game right?
Then again, why would Michigan fans know that?
January 8th, 2021 at 10:40 PM ^
Then again, why would Michigan fans know that?
Because WD posted a pic of the B1G East Co-Champs T-shirt?
January 8th, 2021 at 8:36 PM ^
This is why I’ve pretty much stopped following UM football. Those who stay will be close.
January 8th, 2021 at 8:37 PM ^
See? I barely know how to post on this stupid has-been site.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:17 PM ^
The muffed punt not happening would not have gotten Michigan into the CFP. They would’ve still been 10-2. Lost to Utah and they would’ve still for sure lost to OSU. Maybe they get an NY6 bid, but CFP does not happen. No way.
This team would’ve still gotten crushed by Clemson in the 2016 and 2018 CFP. Even if it had still snuck past OSU.
January 8th, 2021 at 9:17 PM ^
This reminds me of my time with Kate Beckinsale.. 1 sexual experience away from having a sexual experience with her.
January 8th, 2021 at 10:38 PM ^
... and *IF* my aunt had balls, she'd *LITERALLY* be my uncle.
January 8th, 2021 at 11:07 PM ^
This is getting negged hard, but it’s a good point. We just can’t get over that “big game” hump
January 8th, 2021 at 11:47 PM ^
It's getting negged hard not for not being able to get over the big game hump... but for the bullshit excuses instead.
January 9th, 2021 at 12:45 AM ^
By that logic Indiana was one win away from making the playoffs this year. Therefore Harbaugh is good enough to coach at Indiana. Welcome to the new standard.
January 9th, 2021 at 7:01 AM ^
Win the fucking game
January 9th, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^
The muffed MSU punt not happening would not have gotten M into CFP. Had two other loses, destroyed by OSU & lost to Utah to open season.