College Football 2018: Biggest question facing every Top 25 team in spring practice

Can Jim Harbaugh take Michigan to the next level?

The Michigan Wolverines are one of college football’s blueblood programs. Simply, the sport is best when Michigan is at its best – and especially when both the Wolverines and Ohio State are in the national title race. When Jim Harbaugh returned to his alma mater, it seemed like a matter of when, not if, Michigan would be back in both the Big Ten and national championship picture.

So far, it hasn’t happened. In three seasons in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh has won 28 games but has yet to finish higher than third in the Big Ten East and has yet to beat Ohio State in the most important game of the year. Also, despite sniffing the top 10 of the AP poll, and climbing as high as No. 2 in 2016, the Wolverines have yet to make a serious run at a playoff spot.

As a result of that good-but-not-greatness, as well as Harbaugh’s propensity to either burn out or wear out his welcome with his employer, the narrative surrounding the Michigan football program is that 2018 is a make-or-break season for Harbaugh.

We don’t yet know if Harbaugh’s seat is any warmer now than it was a year ago, but we know expectations are high for the Wolverines. Some early rankings across the industry have Michigan in the top 10, while ours put the team No. 14. The optimism is based in large part on what should again be one of the best defenses in the nation, which returns 83 percent of its production from 2017. Paired with an experienced and intriguing offense (which would be even more intriguing if Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson is eligible to play right away), and solid recruiting efforts from Harbaugh’s first two seasons, Michigan is poised to make a move.