In five short years, the College Football Playoff has completely changed the fabric of the sport.
One of the unique aspects of college football is that dozens of teams can consider a season a success, even though only one can win the ultimate prize. There are conference championships, bitter rivalries and a handful of meaningful bowl games.
But as the focus on the top four teams tightens, those outside the playoff can start to feel irrelevant.
That’s why it’s harder than ever to define success.
Michigan’s 2018 season was the perfect blend of the highest highs and the most painful heartbreak. Just a few days ago, the Wolverines were considered a favorite to be in the playoff, but an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Ohio State brought that possibility to a screeching halt.
At the beginning of the season, Michigan’s goals were certainly to be a part of the playoff discussion, even though it was coming off an 8-5 year. Jim Harbaugh was brought to Ann Arbor to win at the highest level, and there’s some debate over what that means.
Jim Harbaugh looks up at the scoreboard in the third quarter after Ohio State scored against Michigan on Nov. 24,2018, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Michigan 62-39. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
But Harbaugh has set a precedent in his first few seasons, winning 10 games twice and coming within a play of the playoff in 2016.
The expectation should be that Michigan doesn’t lose four in a row to Ohio State. It should definitely be more competitive than last weekend, and with so much on the line, Michigan needs to play its best game of the season, not completely fall apart.
No. 1 defense or not, Michigan doesn’t have the roster that Urban Meyer has put together at Ohio State. Yes, OSU sleepwalked through most of the season, but it got up for the Michigan game, and that talent finally showed out.
Michigan is still trying to get on Ohio State’s level, and it should be the expectation that Harbaugh gets the Wolverines to that point.
Many Michigan fans will probably remember this season as a failure, and they’ll start by questioning the 10-game winning streak.
It’s extremely difficult to go more than two months without losing in college football, but some of Michigan’s wins didn’t end up looking as impressive as they were at the time.
Wisconsin, for example, completely fell apart after losing to Michigan as the No. 15 team in the country. The Badgers finished the season 7-5 with losses to BYU and Minnesota.
