Three Down, One To Go
Way back in July, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh laid out four preseason goals for his Wolverines heading into the 2022 season.
Harbaugh said that Michigan wanted to beat in-state rival Michigan State (1) and arch rival Ohio State (2) in the same season for the first time since 2003. The Wolverines also wanted to repeat as Big Ten champions (3), and go on to win the national championship (4).
Three goals down, with the biggest prize of all still ahead.
When No. 2 Michigan arrived in Phoenix earlier this week ahead of their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Harbaugh noted that the Wolverines were on track to accomplish each of those goals they laid out for themselves before the season began.
“This is the best of the best playing the best, and our team is ready to have at it,” Harbaugh said. “We’re right where we want to be. The best of the best, playing the best – that’s where we want to be.”
The last leg of the race will be the most difficult for Michigan. The Horned Frogs are led by the Heisman Trophy runner-up in quarterback Max Duggan, who Harbaugh called a “tremendous competitor”.
“He's one of the best players in the country, leading one of the best teams in the country,” Harbaugh said. “He's so productive. Total offense and leadership and everything. You can tell, he's on a mission.”
Should the Wolverines beat TCU this weekend, a rematch would be next for Michigan, either against reigning national champion Georgia, which defeated U-M in the CFP semifinals last season, or against the Buckeyes.
The month-long layoff between conference championship week and the playoff is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows players like tailback Donovan Edwards and defensive end Mike Morris time to recover from late season injuries. On the other hand, the time off can dull the competitive edge and focus that teams carry throughout a 13-week season.
Left tackle Ryan Hayes admitted Michigan didn’t prepare the way it needed to in the leadup to last year’s Orange Bowl against Georgia, which resulted in a 34-11 loss for the Wolverines. But, seeing the Bulldogs up close showed Michigan what a national title contender looks like, and the returning players kept that image in mind all offseason while preparing for 2022.
“It was definitely a huge motivation for us,” Hayes said. “I think we walked out of that stadium feeling like, ‘Wow, what just happened? We haven't seen a team like that before.’ We also didn't prepare like we should have. And I don't think that's on the coaching staff. That's us as players. I don't think we took it as seriously as we should.”
That 2021 experience is perhaps Michigan’s biggest advantage over TCU heading into Saturday’s showdown in the Fiesta Bowl.
“This year is more business,” Hayes added. “We're going to expect the corps of our team knew that feeling after the game and knew we didn't want that again this year. So we just came in with a completely different mindset, I think. It's more about business.”
Last season, Michigan was expected to lose to Georgia in the semifinals – and did. The Wolverines are a 7.5-point favorite against the Horned Frogs this Saturday, but won’t allow that to change their approach to the game.
“I don't think the mentality changes – favorite, not favorite,” quarterback J.J. McCarthy said. “It's just how are we going to perform in those 60 minutes [against a] nameless, faceless opponent? We don't care who lines up across from us. It's just going to be what we have been doing all year, which is smashing people and executing at a high level for 60 minutes.”
Michigan accomplished many of its preseason goals ahead of the 2021 season as well. The Wolverines beat Ohio State for the first time since 2011, won the Big Ten outright for the first time since 2003, and made their first ever trip to the College Football Playoff. Everything after that was icing on the cake for the Wolverines.
Not so in 2022. Michigan still has one goal left – a feat that the Wolverines have not accomplished since 1997.
“It's all about business this year,” Hayes said. “It's about winning this game. Everybody as kids and coaches dream about being in games like this. I dreamed of this my entire life. I think everyone feels the same.”
