Michigan football: a trend that the Wolverines need to break in 2023

After winning back-to-back conference championship games and more over the past two seasons, the Maize and Blue are heading into a vital season this fall. Right now, Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan football program appear to be among the nation’s elite. However, if the Wolverines want to continue trending toward a national title, breaking this one trend is a must for Michigan during the 2023 season.

Michigan football  program must end bowl game woes during the 2023 season

Michigan football has seen some stellar years under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is heading into his 9th season in Ann Arbor this fall. Thus far, Harbaugh has led his Wolverines to five 10-win seasons, a pair of Big Ten titles, two College Football Playoff appearances, and six ranked finishes. That said, there is a glaring blemish on his resume as Michigan’s head coach.

During the 2015 season, Harbaugh’s first year with the Wolverines, Michigan football went 9-3 during the regular season before blowing out Florida in the Citrus Bowl, finishing the year with a 10-3 overall record and among the top 15 in the season’s final AP poll. Since then, Michigan is an appalling 0-6 in bowl games, including back-to-back losses in the College Football Playoff.

This fall, it seems that Michigan football is poised to make a run at the national championship, something that has evaded the Maize and Blue for nearly three decades now. If Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines want to change this, Michigan’s bowl game woes must change.

Over the past two seasons, it has become clear that Michigan football has no issue with postseason play. The Wolverines took home a 42-3 victory in the 2021 Big Ten title game and a 43-22 win against Purdue for the conference title last December. That said, Jim Harbaugh’s 1-6 bowl game record during his time with the Maize and Blue is a trend that needs to break during the coming season.

Michigan football has its best roster on paper right now, boasting loads of talent and experience on both sides of the football and on the coaching staff. This fall is likely the Wolverines’ best shot at the three-peat Big Ten championship performance and a national title, meaning these bowl game woes must come to an end for the Maize and Blue. As senior wide receiver Roman Wilson put it, “It’s now or never.”

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