Every year, the college football world falls in love with a one team and thus deeming them the pretty girl that everybody wants to take to the prom during the preseason hype machine.
Within this whirlwind of takes and previews breeds an off-season national champion, and this year’s darling is the University of Michigan football team, pegged as the popular pick in Las Vegas to win it all this season.
Starting the season ranked No. 8 in the Amway Coaches Poll, U-M coach Jim Harbaugh was asked this weekend if he needed to address the hefty expectations placed on his team entering the season.
“Those outside expectations, perceptions, they do rise and fall by the day – sometime by the hour,” Harbaugh said. “Our expectations are going to be very high, and as a coach my expectations are very high for practice with meetings, drills and implementations and scrimmaging and competition.”
“It’s where the team’s forged, in the August heat.”
Coming off a 10-3 season that included a three-week stretch that saw Michigan outscore BYU, Maryland, and Northwestern 98-0, the Wolverines surprised most observers and exceeded the high expectations Coach Harbaugh set for his team.
But while most in college football circles are high on the Wolverines and expect at minimum a seat at the big boys table that is the College Football Playoff, the players are quick to downplay the championship discussion.
Jabrill Peppers speaks with media Sunday at Michigan’s football media day. Damien Dennis/The Pit
“I don’t really pay any attention to the media both good and bad,” Defensive Back Jabrill Peppers said. “It’s just something I’ve adopted since high school, we don’t really pay it any mind. We know where we’ve been and what we are, just a couple years ago we were just 5-7.”
“We had a great year last year, but we don’t forget where we’ve come from and there is still room for improvement.”
Peppers, Michigan football’s equivalent to Superman, would be included in that hype train and is perhaps the key to meeting those expectations.
The cornerback/safety/linebacker/wide receiver/running back/kick returner/punt returner is featured on the recent Sports Illustrated cover and considered a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy this year.
But as Peppers eluded to, they must not forget where they come from. Let’s not forget, as much success as U-M had in last season, they didn’t beat the two road blocks in front of them in Michigan State and Ohio State.
Michigan suffered defeat in a two-way fashion to the Big Ten giants, within heartbreak to MSU on a last second fumble return for a touchdown and a thumping by OSU to end the regular season, something Peppers and the Wolverines still have fresh in their minds.
“I can’t really say which one hurt most,” he said. “The MSU game we were handling business and didn’t finish the game, and then with the OSU game they just kicked our ass. Both were definitely a wake-up call and something we used to become a better team and more cohesive group.”
“You learn a lot about yourself when you face adversity and everything is a lesson learned.”
It’s important to remember that in sports—as in life—progression isn’t always linear. For example, just because a team returns most of its starters doesn’t mean it will end up in a top-tier bowl game.
The Wolverines arguably overachieved in 2015: it was Harbaugh’s first year with the program; they had gone 5-7 the previous season; they were so thin at quarterback that had to start Jake Rudock, who had lost his starting job at Iowa.
However, heading into Harbaugh’s second season, he has revamped the Wolverines culture and the restored U-M’s place into everyday college football talk, something that serves as a motivating factor every step taken on the field.
“It’s been amazing, that enthusiasm that he brings to the culture and program here is unbelievable,” Cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “He changed the program so fast in a matter of seconds is unbelievable, his mentality and he’s not going to take the second option.”
“Every day he goes out there and he tells us you have to put in work,” he said. “And if you don’t, that’s not the mentality of a Michigan football player. You really have to go out there and work, and prepare and work as hard as you can.”
That idea that Coach Harbaugh has instilled into his squad to quell exceeded expectations and pressure by media and fans alike has been fueled by one idea.
“You just have to think about your preparation,” Lewis said. “That’s always first at hand when you talk about all this hype from everybody thinking that you’re going to be number one. You always have to think about what got you here, and that’s our work ethic and it’s what we are going to hang our hat on.”
Everything isn’t perfect though for Michigan, as there is a highly likelihood that they could finish behind their aforementioned rivals, with questions on both sides of the ball as well.
But Harbaugh continues to utter a “dream big” mentality that he hopes to put him on even playing field with MSU and OSU.
“Attitude, mentality, set their goals high, dream big and realize that all those can be accomplished once the work is realized,” he said. “And if people are making fun of you for what your dreams are and what your goals are, then you haven’t set those goals and dreams high enough.”
Harbaugh has done everything in his power to push and heighten the interest of the Wolverines to return them to the college football promise land.
But all the antics and banter are irrelevant until results are produced on the field and they accomplish something they haven’t done in a decade.
A statement victory in a game that matters, while the stakes are high.
And with Vegas betting it all on Michigan to take it all, and Harbaugh coupled with hype on their side, it’s up to their unproven players to live up to both and cash in on victories.
The Wolverines opened practice Monday (Aug. 8) and open the season at home Sept. 3 with Hawaii. Michigan (10-3) finished No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll for 2015.
