What is your definition of success for Michigan football?

Being competitive nationally.  I never cared about beating OSU or playing in the Rose Bowl; given the state of the B1G, that really isn't an accomplishment.  But when UM can walk into a BCS bowl game against a top-notch team from a power conference and win, that's a great season.  Beyond that, a generally good season is 9 wins, with a couple against quality opponents.  I rather have a consistent winner with some peaks than the wild swings you see at places like Auburn, USC, etc. where you win 11 games one year and then crater the next couple.

I want Michigan to be one of the best teams in the country. A team that people watch and admire for its skill, quality, and dominance in an average game. It should be one of the leading programs every year, even in years where it's not the best.

A lot of people are talking about beating OSU and combining that with various other goals. Remember, OSU is good and a good OSU is good for us; 50% is a good number in a top rivalry, and I want Michigan-OSU to have national implications every year. That may mean we lose some OSU games when we have a great team, but in those seasons we still ought to be BCS bowl contenders or, at worst, Cap One/Outback Bowl winners. Say, 10-2, Cap One bowl, beat Texas A&M 35-24.

But that should be a "meh" year. Maybe not rebuilding, and in the top ten, but setting us up for a bigger season ahead. 

Because Michigan should be a playoff contender every year. 

This "win the B1G, make it to the Rose Bowl" stuff has to stop. That's pansy stuff. I know it's important to win the B1G and make it there, but the goal should be to WIN the Rose Bowl and WIN the national championship. 

I don't know about you, but making the Rose Bowl wasn't good enough for me in 1986, or 1989, or 1991. It wasn't good enough for me in 1997 either, and I wasn't particularly happy with how the 2003, 2004, and 2006 seasons ended.

I want Michigan to be a winner.

Numbers:

More than 2 losses in a regular season is unacceptable, except for one rebuilding year every five years.

Beat OSU 50% of the time.

B1G championship game 50% of the time (if we're in OSU's division; quite possible to lose to them and still make the game).

Win the B1G championship game 2/3s of the time when we're there.

Playoff berth every 3 or 4 years. Win a national championship at least once in 10 years.

BCS Bowl (Rose or otherwise) 2/3s of the time.

 

I would like to see someone fear our football team once again.

Is that too much to ask?

I want to go back to when teams lost to us before they even stepped on our field.   We lost that mystique when we scheduled, and lost to, App. St.    We will know that Hoke has accomplished what was asked of him when teams speak about our team with trepidation in their voice and fear in their hearts.

That is what I want to see.

 

Success is far too nebulous to be defined in such strict terms.

For example...

Michigan loses only one game all season, in conference play against Ohio.

Iowa goes undefeated, winning the division, as well the Big Ten Championship Game, earning a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.

This forces #3 ranked Michigan into the Rose Bowl, which we then win.

Would that season be considered a success?

We lost to Ohio. We didn't play in the Big Ten Championship Game, so we didn't win a conference title, but we still snuck into the Rose Bowl and won, finishing ranked 2nd in the polls.

I think most people would consider such a season a major success for the program, even if we didn't necessarily meet all of our goals.

Not too different from yours. Over the long term, winning 2/3 of non-cupcake games while graduating most of the players and avoiding scandals or other incidents that embarrass the school. Over any given season, it depends on the schedule and other circumstances such as injuries.

Win clean.

...I don't really care about wins so much.  The most important things are program stability with high graduation rates and minimal embarrassing, off-field activities.

Given the number of people in college football who have a win-at-all-costs mentality, I'm just not even sure that it's worth expecting to compete with them when we all know the playing field is rarely level.  And when you consider the risk of Colorado or Penn State style scandals, I don't feel it is worth the risk of creating expectations for wins and subsequently hero-worshipping those coaches & players who deliver on those expectations.

I know that I'm in the minority but if I learned anything from the recent years of Michigan football it's that a losing season is no the end of the world.  The game is meant to be a fun, Saturday afternoon distraction and if one keeps a level head about things, then even the losing seasons can provide a pleasant bit of entertainment.

I'd also agree with those who suggested that we only have two uniforms.  Maintaining traditions should also be considered a baseline of success.  The more we lose such things, the easier it is to lose interest.  And that, for more than any wins, would be a much greater failure.

Until the 2008 season, I felt that success would be a 10+ win season and a major bowl victory. 

After 2008 and 2009, I felt that success would be a winning season and bowl appearance.

After 2010, I felt that success would be a 8+ wins and a bowl victory. 

After 20111, I felt that success would be a Leaders Division championship and an appearance in a BCS or prestigious non-BCS bowl.

After this past season, I am more inclined to agree with the posters who want UM to regain its old mystique by dominating inferior competition and holding our own against elite national powers, irrespective of the actual record.

 

1.  Absolute MUST - Win the B1G title outright, no flukes or doubt. (undefeated in conference play.

2.  A Rose Bowl victory over USC, Stanford, Oregon or some WORTHY PAC-12 opponent.

3.  A strong showing in the National Championship game, playing well.

4.  Winning the National Championship game in decisive fashion over a favored SEC opponent.

Addendum - beating all of Michigan's biggest rivals in the same season is part of the mix.

For me its competing for big ten titles every year, winning the rose bowl maybe once every three years and contending for a national championship every year, and winning it once a decade would be nice. Obviously beating OSU and MSU as well, but I would like to be better than .500 in bowls

Lots of analytical explanations here. For me it's much simpler:

1974-2007 - felt good to be a Michigan Wolverine (I became a fan in 1974 at age nine)
2008-2010 - felt shitty to be a Michigan Wolverine
2011-2012 and beyond - again feels good to be a Michigan Wolverine

We don't have to cheat to get to the NCG.  We already recruit as well as Auburn, LSU, Florida.  Various teams who played in NCGs and won.

-Beating two out of three rivals each year (with an emphasis on OSU being the most important / I realize we are done playing ND for a bit coming up)

-Winning the big ten title

-Competing for a National Title on a consistant basis (probably the biggest area Michigan has failed in past decades although I still think Michigan got screwed a few times in the 1970s and would have easily won more than 1 NC since 1958 if there was a 4-team playoff)

1. Beating Ohio

2. 10+ wins

3. Playing in BCS Bowls

Compete for Big Ten titles every year.

Beat OSU. Not necessarily every year, but it should at least be a good game.

Compete for national titles on a regular basis. Maybe not every year, but be regularly in the mix.

Post-NYD bowls

Help remind Sparty that they should stick to basketball.

Leaders both on and off the field. Seriously, we need more men like Patrick Omameh.

Hoke leading this program the right way. No over signing, no negative recruiting, and reminding our players that the reason they are at Michigan is to get that diploma. If a player gets to the NFL, that's fantastic, and we should all be proud of him. But that's not the main reason of why you go to Michigan. In my opinion.

Never potentially sacrifice the integrity of our program just for W's. If winning is that important to Hoke (hypothetically speaking, of course), he should not be coaching at Michigan.

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game more than Wisconsin, basically a regular at the game. Beat Ohio at least at a 50% rate, at least enough for Ohio fans to know if they come to A2 in Nov it will be a long sad ride home. Also if I may?  I would want to be in the talk of future MNCG every year, I would like to play in the MNCG 1 in 6 yrs. Win a MNCG within next 5 years. Win a  real NC playoff championship become the undisputed NC for that year then I can die. GO BLUE!

Reclaiming our part in the Big 2, Little 10 (or 12 or 14) status again. Winning our share of B1G titles and when we do, belonging in the playoffs. Not being afraid of a mobile quarterback on the other team. Never showing up to a game with no hope of winning. Doing it with more class and integrity than any other major program.

It really depends on what timeframe you're talking about.  Over a ten-year period, success  to me means  a 9-3 average, with a couple of years being a national title contender.  

Success is when you look at the schedule every week and legitimately think Michigan should win. The few times they lose it should be because the opponent that week played their perfect game. That is the Michigan standard of success. Always has been, always should be.

Beat Ohio, playoffs every other year.

Basically Alabama but without all the dirt.

So you think we are at the point where we can challenge our main objective of winning the B10?  I say this because it gives me pause that our objective is to win the B10, and not necessarily the NC.  Don't get me wrong, winning the B10 is an achievement, but its not even close compared to a NC.  You can't tell me that you wouldn't be disappointed in a season that we lost all our non-conference games, but won the B10.

Times have changed and Bo's mantra of winning B10 championships as our main goal should be put to rest.  This is Michigan fergodsakes, he should be shooting for NCs.  Plain and simple.

Hot cheerleaders and rawk muzik

Michigan has the biggest stadium and possibly the best resources in college football.  There is no excuse for them not being a team that plays for the National Championship at least once every five years.  That is one "slot" out of ten.  Any team that calls themselves the "leaders and best" should be able to get one out of those ten slots in a five year period.

If Ohio gets to the NC game using the spread next year, it's going to be time for the "old school" people who dominate the decision-making process involving sports at the University of Michigan to re-evaluate their insistence on using a 20th century offense in the 21st century.

When Bo had his great years, the option was a "modern" offense.  That was the last time Michigan was ahead of or even with the curve on offense.  Oregon, ND, and Ohio are proving that the spread works "up north" and that it's possible to reach the NC game with it.  Ohio didn't reach it in Meyer's first year, but they did go undefeated.

David Brandon has no problem trampling on tradition when it means he is going to make more money, but seems to insist on an anachronistic offense for the Wolverines.  If he wants to actually put his money where his mouth is, he needs to tell Hoke and Borges that it's time for Michigan to join the 21st century on the offensive side of the ball.  

Brady Hoke does a great job of motivating and recruiting, and has as much integrity as anyone in the game right now.  He delegates his offense, and can delegate a spread offense as well as he can a more traditional one.   Al Borges could learn the spread in two months, and could combine it with his WCO principles.  It would look similar to the "Run and Shoot," which did create a lot of space for Barry Sanders in Detroit.

If Brady Hoke wants to transcend the 3.5 loss average of the "Michigan coaching tree" and actually win some of those championships they talk about on State Street, he is going to have to incorporate the spread into the offense.  He just has to get permission from David Brandon.

I hope permission is forthcoming.

Win B1G and play in the Rose Bowl (or MNC bowl du jour) = success

Anything else is not a successful season at UofM.

I am not irrational enough to think we should have success every season, but that is success defined.