Michigan football’s 2021 season ended in disappointment but the Wolverines showed great signs of progress under Jim Harbaugh.
The 2021 Michigan football season ended on New Year’s Eve with a loss in the College Football Playoff to Georgia.
The Wolverines took on the Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl. However, they couldn’t hang with the SEC runner-up.
Now that it’s finished, it’s time to look back on the 2021 season with some context.
Grading the 2021 Michigan football season: A-
Obviously, Jim Harbaugh and his team would have liked to end the season on a higher note than a semifinal blowout. There will be serious disappointment over that performance for a long time.
Still, the season was an unmitigated success even taking that playoff showing into account.
The Wolverines hadn’t been able to get over the hump with Harbaugh before, losing to Ohio State eight years in a row. Despite multiple 10-win campaigns since the head coach joined in 2015, there was little to show for it.
The difference in 2021 was noted and Michigan has major positives to take away from this season.
First and foremost, they got the monkey off their back with regard to Ohio State. Their victory in The Game propelled them into the Big Ten Championship Game and set them up for their first conference championship since 2004.
The win over the Buckeyes was the cherry on top of a season of strong performances from start to finish. Michigan won 12 games for the first time since 1997.
The lone loss of the regular season against Michigan State was narrow. Even if it stung at the time to blow a 16-point lead, it didn’t keep the Wolverines from a College Football Playoff berth.
It was also a season built on stellar performances from players and coaches. Jim Harbaugh won the AP Coach of the Year Award. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the country.
Aidan Hutchinson was a unanimous All-American and made it to New York as a Heisman finalist. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while running back Hassan Haskins was an All-Big Ten first-teamer as one of the nation’s best backs.
Obviously, it wasn’t a perfect season. That would have ended with a CFP trophy flying back to Ann Arbor. It was, however, a step in the right direction and proof that Harbaugh can get his team into the CFP. The next step is figuring out how to win it.
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