Through the lens of sports media, there are three vantages from which one can observe this season for Michigan football.
The first is from within the competitive landscape of college football, the second pertains to the conduct and affairs of the program that is Michigan Athletics, and the last is reserved for one’s evaluation of the players and coaching staff – what they put on the field, one Saturday after another.
Sports, like most things that are prominent in our culture, are driven by storytelling. They proliferate lore that is steeped in concepts like hard work, determination, growth, character, talent – and, most of all, that if you are able to merge all of these virtues, you can achieve something great. Something that others will aspire to and be proud of.
But, like any good story, sports also must have its good and evil. Heroes and villains. Those who resemble what we believe to be honorable, and those who are guilty of dereliction, malfeasance, or acting unfairly.
As the Michigan Wolverines travel to face Maryland, with a chance at claiming the program’s 1000th victory, they also find themselves burdened with the eyes of the nation seeing them as the new villains of college football, be it unfair, fully justifiable, or something in between.
Yesterday, news broke that the program would not seek to appeal the 3-game suspension handed to Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, which bars him from coaching on the sidelines for the final games of the 2023 regular season. This reprimand took effect last weekend, which resulted in offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore serving as active play-caller for Michigan’s 24-15 win over Penn State in Happy Valley…a matchup that saw the Wolverines run the ball on 33 consecutive plays in the second half.
And after the game? Well, it’s apt to say that Coach Moore was emotional about his players, his program, and their head coach. It’s worth noting that Moore spoke with great reverence for Michigan Athletics after he served as acting head coach for the team’s matchup against Bowling Green early this year.
Following yesterday’s news of Michigan not pursuing legal action against the Big Ten in the face of the 3-game suspension, Friday morning would see the program announce the firing of linebackers Chris Partridge. Not long after, Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel would report that Michigan’s withdrawal from league recourse came in concert with the NCAA presenting the school with evidence that a booster (referred to as “Uncle T”) had allegedly funded part of Connor Stallions vast scouting operation – and that an assistant coach on the staff had attempted to destroy evidence after the initial scandal broke.
Within the collective psyche of modern media, the least sexy thing you can say is a very simple, but fundamentally vital outlook – two things can be true at the same time. The Michigan Wolverines, unquestionably one of the preeminent forces in college football since its inception, are in the midst of a renaissance. Buoyed by strong recruiting, developing NFL-ready talent on a historic level, a generational quarterback for the program, and, most of all, winning. And while the college football world looks at this program with the same repulsion felt by fans the day Hulk Hogan joined nWo, it’s hard to breeze past the reality that these players have put forth a tremendous body of work that now is dwarfed by scandal. And, come April, we’ll likely be talking about how Michigan set a new record for players selected from one school in a single draft – an event that will take place less than 50 miles from the Big House.
But for now, chasing history for the program on the field this Saturday, it’s a pity that scars to Michigan’s reputation have obscured such a remarkable picture.
The Wolverines face off against Maryland in College Park tomorrow. Kickoff at Noon EST.
