This was mostly a formality, another confetti crown. It didn’t start that way but it ended that way, and it’s official: Michigan owns the Big Ten right now.
Indianapolis – This was mostly a formality, another confetti crown. It didn’t start that way Saturday night but it ended that way, and it’s official: Michigan owns the Big Ten right now.
The Wolverines obliged the moment by donning their championship hats, then quickly turned to the hunt for bigger game. And games. They rolled to their second straight conference championship, beating Purdue 43-22 Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, and now head back to the playoff. It was close at the half, as it often is, and then Michigan grinded down the opponent, as it often does. Purdue didn’t pull any punches, or miss many passes, and it was a solid battle.
Going forward for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines, solid won’t be good enough, and they know it. With a pair of dynamic sophomores, J.J. McCarthy and Donovan Edwards, and mashing offensive and defensive lines, they have a better chance in the playoff than a year ago. If the CFP committee’s previous assessments hold, the Wolverines (13-0) will be the No. 2 seed, likely playing TCU (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on New Year’s Eve. It won’t be set until the pairings are revealed Sunday, when Ohio State is expected to slide in at No. 4, thanks to USC’s loss.
The Buckeyes (12-1) might get one gift – deserved over 10-2 Alabama – but probably not another. It’d be a surprise if Ohio State immediately gets another shot at the Wolverines, and instead likely will play No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta. Could the committee be devious and pit Michigan and OSU in a semifinal rematch? It could, but I doubt it. Their next epic clash might happen, but it’ll probably have to be in the national championship game.
That’s where the Wolverines are determined to be, where Harbaugh always planned to take them, and they don’t have many weaknesses. At least not many they can’t overcome. On the day star Blake Corum underwent knee surgery, Edwards stepped forward and kept going. He rushed for 185 yards, 148 in the second half when the Wolverines pulled away from a 14-13 lead. McCarthy threw for three touchdowns, and the balance between pounding runs and sizzling passes is what makes the Wolverines dangerous.
They’re 25-2 the past two seasons, as dominating a stretch as modern Michigan football has ever seen, winning outright back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time since 1991-92. That should not be brushed aside, but it’s the Wolverines themselves who crave bigger fulfillment.
