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Michigan, Jim Harbaugh’s next big challenge? Catching Up with the SEC After Georgia Losses



In an interview on the sidelines of the game, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had an emphatic response when asked about the Wolverines team ahead of the College Football Playoff semi-final against Georgia.

“It was difficult,” Harbaugh said. “This is the next step. Just let it rip! It’s time.”

It may not seem like it, but #2 Michigan has taken that next step. 3 Georgia overcame the Wolverines in the game by 34-11, setting up another SEC match in the College Football Playoff championship game against No. 1 Alabama on Jan. 10.

Harbaugh got that first chance at the playoffs, and the Wolverines realized how difficult it would be to go from Big Ten champion to true national championship contender.

THAN: Georgia hits reset button, sets hype final against Alabama

Georgia was too much. The Bulldogs have a roster of 19 5-star players. Michigan has three. In a game with a difference of elite talent, Georgia cleared any missteps with a quick first two TDs. The Bulldogs played 20 yards or more in each of their first hits, and they all led to scoring. It was March 27 before halftime.

That can be seen on the pitch. That’s the difference in girth, where Georgia exploits a mismatch in the back seven for a 57-yard TD with Jermaine Burton and a 39-yard TD for James Cook. That was the difference on the inside, where seven Georgia fronts led by Americans Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean limited Michigan to 84 yards of charge. The star running backwards Hassan Haskins is 39 yards.

It is not a step backwards. It’s a reality check for Michigan. The drive to stay with Ohio State and accumulate the talent needed to run with Georgia and Alabama, two teams that beat the Wolverines 35-16 in the 2020 Citrus Bowl, was a new-found challenge.

The SEC remains a company-wide matter for the Big Ten at the elite stage. Ohio State beat Alabama 42-35 at the Sugar Bowl in the first year of the College Soccer League, but it was the exception. The Big Ten is currently 3-7 against the SEC in either BCS or New Year Day Six bowls, and the last four have been lost. Michigan has lost two of those games and hasn’t won a game on that court since Tom Brady returned for a 2000 Orange Bowl game against Alabama.

Make no mistake, these are the bowls between the SEC and the Big Ten that really matter.

Big Ten vs SEC in BCS/NY6 Bowls since 1998

DAY BOWL RESULT
January 1, 2000 Orange No. 8 Michigan 35, No. 4 Alabama 34
January 1, 2002 Street No. 13 LSU 47, No. 8 Illinois 34
January 8, 2007 BCS . Championship No. 2 Florida 41, No. 1 Ohio State 14
January 7, 2008 BCS . Championship No. 2 LSU 38, No. 1 Ohio State 24
January 4, 2001 Street No. 6 Ohio State 31, No. 8 Arkansas 26
January 1, 2015 CFP Semi-Final No. 4 Ohio State No. 42, No. 1 Alabama 35
December 31, 2015 CFP Semi-Final No. 2 Alabama 38, No. 3 Michigan State 0
December 29, 2018 Dig No. 10 Florida 41, No. 7 Michigan 15
January 11, 2021 CFP . Championship No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24
December 31, 2021 CFP Semi-Final No. 3 Georgia 34, No. 2 Michigan 11

That doesn’t excuse Michigan for its massive loss to Georgia, nor does it appreciate what has been achieved this season. Michigan broke a 10-year drought for the State of Ohio. The Wolverines won their first Big Ten championship since 2004. That should lead to achievement on the recruiting trail, and Harbaugh did so during a hot-seat season that brought the show into the limelight because of the big hits. good cause for the first time since an embarrassing loss to the Appalachian State in 2007.

“I think we climbed mountains that nobody thought we could climb,” said Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson. “We set a new standard for Michigan football going forward.”

Look back at that list. Ohio State and Michigan are the only two schools with wins over SEC schools on those stages. However, the Buckeyes have won two national championships in that span, and the Wolverines have claimed more since their national championship in 1997. That’s the big stage difference between the Big Two. in the Big Ten.

THAN: Michigan falls into early, unrecoverable pit compared to UGA

What makes more sense for Michigan in 2022?

The big question will be the quarterback. Freshman JJ McCarthy (7 of 17, 131 yards, TD) saw most of the tackle in the second half, which was the premise of a quarterback battle with Cade McNamara (11 of 19, 106 yards, 2 INT) heading into 2021. McCarthy is one of the five-star players on the list, and he plays in the most important position. Four-star freshman running back Donovan Edwards is a great running buddy.

McCarthy and Edwards connected for a 43-yard pass in the fourth quarter. McCarthy hooked up freshman Andrel Anthony for a 35-yard TD in the fourth quarter. It’s a base to work with.

Now that means looking for more talent on both sides to deal with that SEC pace. Notre Dame, the other Rust Belt power, had that problem against Alabama in last season’s CFP loss. So is the state of Ohio.

None of those fields are scams beyond the confusing social media definition. However, with the exception of the vexing Sugar Bowl under former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, they’re all still playing half a step ahead of Alabama and Georgia’s SEC 1-2 punch on the field and recruiting trail. Buckeyes are still the best bet to challenge that in any given year. Meanwhile, The Wolverines are currently 1-4 in poor games against SEC schools.

How does Michigan make up for that? Harbaugh must capitalize on the momentum from 2021 and show this isn’t a one-off showdown with the Buckeyes and the rest of the Big Ten. Harbaugh took a pay cut and made some savvy off-season outsourcing, including defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and support coach Mike Hart, which got Michigan back on track.

The Wolverines will be good enough to compete for another Big Ten championship in 2022, but that will also be tough.

Michigan hasn’t won at Ohio State since 2000. The Wolverines were at home to Michigan State, but Harbaugh lost 3-4 to their state rivals. Those are the challenges before Michigan can hit another swing at the SEC heavyweights.

Accomplish those goals, then it will be time for them to turn into reality.

Later, Harbaugh told ESPN: “This is the first step.

Time to go.





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