The Michigan football team completed a perfect 15-0 season last week by defeating Washington in the national
championship game to end their 2023 campaign. Wolverine fans had been anticipating a season like this for a while,
and this year they were able to make it happen. In order to reach the national championship game, Michigan had
many highs and lows, and many of the important players that returned this season might have chosen to play in the
NFL. They all returned with the same objective in mind: to take home a national title. The Wolverines achieved their
objective, and they now hope to build on that accomplishment moving ahead and they can make that happen with
the momentum they have established.
Let’s look at what this squad endured to get to where they are today before discussing the next season and what
Michigan football can do to prepare to defend their title. The importance of this to the program’s future cannot be
emphasized.
First, head coach Jim Harbaugh faced a self-imposed three-game ban due to a few minor recruiting infractions, so he
began the season at home for the Wolverines. That didn’t matter too much, though, because Michigan had home
openers against UNLV, Bowling Green, and East Carolina to begin the season. Harbaugh would face more
suspensions that season, but the Wolverines were good for those games.
Approximately midway through the football season, rumors circulated that the Michigan football team was under
investigation for allegedly stealing illegal signs. Connor Stalions, a low-level staff member, was ultimately found to
be the offender. Stallions purchased tickets so they could attend upcoming rival games with pals and record the
sidelines on cell phones .
A few weeks into the probe, Stalions announced his resignation.
After the investigation began, Jim Harbaugh was allowed to continue coaching Michigan for a few weeks. However,
with three weeks left in the regular season, the Big Ten suspended him, forcing offensive coordinator Sherrone
Moore to assume head coaching responsibilities for the team’s most difficult three games: against #10 Penn State, at
Maryland, and at #2 Ohio State. Additionally, they suspended him as the Michigan team jet was traveling to Happy
Valley, less than twenty-four hours before the Penn State game.
Although the Michigan football team initially saw the sign-stealing probe as a terrible thing, it ended up giving the
Wolverines more motivation. This squad was already driven beyond belief to win a national championship, but then
they began to hear from everyone on the outside that their past two seasons’ victories were the result of cheating.
Everyone is aware of what transpired next. Without Harbaugh, Michigan defeated Penn State and Ohio State, won
the Big Ten for the third time in a row, defeated Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and defeated Washington to claim the
national championship. It was an incredibly significant football season in Ann Arbor.
Right now, Michigan football is atop the NCAA football mountain, but will they be able to stay there? It might not be
easy for them in their first year back after taking home the national championship. Having conducted interviews
with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons, Harbaugh is currently toying with the idea of becoming an
NFL coach. The Wolverines may also surpass the previous record for the most players selected this season. This
national championship team is losing a lot of important players, and Michigan does not want things in Ann Arbor to
get worse if they also lose their coach.
