Ranking all eight of Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan football teams

1. 2022

Oct 1, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards (7) runs the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Seth Benson (44) moves in for the tackle as offensive lineman Trevor Keegan (77) attempts to block during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

While 2021 saw many trends get broken, Michigan’s 2022 season maintained this new standard of football under Jim Harbaugh. Coming off the heels of a massive, Big Ten Championship-winning season the year before, the Wolverines had high hopes, though they still saw many vital losses.

Michigan football had a new quarterback under center, lost its star running back (Hassan Haskins), its Heisman runner-up (Aidan Hutchinson), and much more. We knew Michigan would likely be good again, but no one saw the Wolverines as the force they turned out to be.

Michigan football turned no heads during September — the Wolverines played three cupcake non-conference teams and narrowly edged past Maryland, 34-27. Still, the Wolverines managed to compose themselves when it mattered most.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Michigan football won a game in Iowa City over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Wolverines season picked up during Week 7 of the year; No. 5 Michigan football (6-0) welcomed No. 10 Penn State (5-0) to Ann Arbor and defeated the Nittany Lions, 41-17. The win changed people’s perception of the Wolverines in 2022 and started a massive second half of the year.

Michigan dominated in-state rival Michigan State (29-7) along with everyone else on its conference schedule. No. 2 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) welcomed No. 3 Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) to Columbus in Week 13 — a game Ohio State was again favored to win.

Nonetheless, for the second year in a row, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines dominated Ryan Day’s Buckeyes; this time, Michigan football walked away unscathed with a 45-23 victory. Despite not having Heisman contender Blake Corum, the Wolverines utterly embarrassed the Buckeyes in their stadium.

The following weekend, Michigan football brought home its second-straight Big Ten Championship with a 43-22 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. The Wolverines could not overcome No. 3 TCU in the CFP semifinal, though 2022 was still historic.

For the first time since 1997, Michigan saw a 12-0 start to the regular season; additionally, the Wolverines won 13 games for the first time in school history, finished top-3 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1947-48, and won 12 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.

2022 was a memorable season; we could see even bigger things from Michigan football in 2023. Undoubtedly, the 2022 team is among the best Michigan teams of all and is Harbaugh’s best Michigan team to date.

FINAL RECORD: No. 3, 13-1 (10-0 Big Ten), won Big Ten Championship game vs. Purdue, lost CFP semifinal vs. No. 3 TCU.

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