I see little reason for optimism in Ann Arbor this fall. Tradition, the winged helmet and a fabulous fight song can only get you so far. Perhaps JJ McCarthy will be the wonder frosh QB the Wolverines badly need. Will McCarthy be the savior that Harbaugh was touted to be upon his hire? Maybe McCarthy won’t start and either Cade McNamara or Texas Tech transfer, Alan Bowman, will shine. Certainly possible.
The biggest reason for pessimism is the head man. Jim Harbaugh seems to have done a disappearing act that Houdini might have envied. Where is the cocky guy who guaranteed a 1986 victory in Columbus immediately after a disheartening upset to Minnesota?
Where is the guy who pissed off Pete Carroll after going for 2 in the waning moments of a Stanford rout of the Trojans?
Where is the guy who pissed off the SEC by setting up summer satellite camps in their territory? And then went shirtless?
Call the cops! That Jim Harbaugh has gone AWOL!
5 straight losses (3 of which were blowouts) to the Buckeyes have cowed Harbaugh. Repeatedly losing to the Buckeyes is very irritating but almost excusable given their ongoing surfeit of NFL talent. Losing at home to a poor MSU team last year is not.
Not only has Harbaugh’s swagger disappeared, his game management is a recurring problem. In MSU’s miracle 2015 win in Ann Arbor on a game-ending punt block, UM was blocking 8 on 11 as Michigan had two gunners who did not stay home to block.
Michigan was actually favored against OSU in their 2018 finale in Columbus. The previous week, Indiana successfully ran a lot of crossing routes against Michigan. OSU looked at the film and intelligently took a page out of the Hoosier playbook. Michigan had a week to fix this problem. Harbaugh and DC Don Brown seemed oblivious to the Hoosier success. The issue remained dreadfully unfixed to the horror of 62 Buckeye points.
The cocky Harbaugh needs to return. Otherwise, UM’s chance for near term success is diminished. The cocky Harbaugh would have kept bringing in stellar classes. With 2 exceptions, UM’s most recent recruiting class is considered ho-hum.
Michigan is not a terribly talented team in 2021. In Phil Steele’s annual, on the Big 10’s first 3 teams of all-league selections, the Wolverines have 1 selection on offense, 3rd teamer Ronnie Bell. On his first 3 teams of defense, UM only has 3 2nd-teamers. In addition, the schedule is tricky. Las Vegas puts the over/under on Wolverine wins at 7.5. I do not think UM will get there.
The first two games are against Western Michigan and Washington. WMU is not a pushover and some pundits think the Huskies are one of the more underrated teams in the country. Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana are all talented. Maryland’s skill level talent with a Tagovailoa at QB is undeniable. Even Rutgers took the Blue to triple overtime last year as Greg Schiano appears to have revived a doormat.
The crossover schedule with the Big Ten West is not trivial. Wisconsin mauled Michigan last year, 49-11, and this year’s game is in Madison. Uh oh! At Nebraska and hosting Northwestern are far from automatic wins.
The Odyssey predicts Michigan will not have a winning season, given that we see only 1 “automatic win” on the schedule (Northern Illinois).
Which means that the administration will likely look for a graceful exit for Mr. Harbaugh. Which is only fair. As one of the best QBs to ever don the winged helmet, such dignity is fully merited. The Odyssey will profusely apologize for our pessimism if there is an 8-4 mark (or better) in Ann Arbor.
If Harbaugh’s luck is in, perhaps stellar QB play will be the Wolverines’ salvation. But to assume that the Maize and Blue find a QB savior is to hope for a lot. In Ann Arbor, coveting saviors has proven to be a risky proposition.