First Down Kentucky: Michigan had to be the one
The 2023 college football season was all about Michigan from the start to the finish. Their moves off the field dominated headlines as much as they dominated their opponents.
Their head coach was suspended twice for two different scandals, one of which required the new Big Ten commissioner to make an unorthodox, unilateral move by providing punishment immediately instead of waiting until the offseason. It didn’t matter. Jim Harbaugh was suspended for six of the Wolverines’ 12 regular season games. They won ’em all.
While most of the college football world was shocked by the lengths Connor Stalions took to steal signs, Michigan suffocated its opponents into submission. Without Harbaugh on the sideline against Penn State, they did not throw a forward pass for the entire second half in Happy Valley and didn’t even have to break a sweat. The Wolverines shoved Ryan Day in a locker, again, beating Ohio State for a third straight season. Then they went to the Rose Bowl and did to Nick Saban what his teams of old used to do to others, punish the opponent in the trenches.
Michigan dominated all year long. Of course they brought home the title. They had to because they’re the most College Football Story ever told.
This is a dumb beautiful sport. It needs to have a champion that’s embroiled with controversy who is coached by an intense, bizarre man who says things like: “With all the outside noise, our locker room’s in one piece,” Harbaugh said. “Like my locker rooms a lot like my mom’s bathing suits; like to see them in one piece.”
Michigan had to be the one. They always were the one. And now, hours after receiving their first National Championship since 1997, Jim Harbaugh’s future in college football is in question. The story of the 2023 college football season will also be the story of the 2024 offseason.
The Michigan Sign-Stealing Story isn’t Going Away
Connor Stalions showed up to the Rose Bowl and had great seats, because of course he did. Hilarious behavior. Not as hilarious as this stray from Brett McMurphy.
“Look,” an Alabama official told me at the Rose Bowl last week, “Everyone — and I mean everyone — is stealing signs. Michigan was not the only school doing this.”
Added an industry source: “Kansas (basketball) cheats more than anyone, and they didn’t do anything to Kansas. The only pure thing in college athletics is Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt sucks.”
That’s where college athletics is in 2024: if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying — or you’re Vanderbilt.
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The Connor Stallions story is not over. Even though the Big Ten punished Harbaugh, more from the NCAA may be down the pipe. Regardless, the sentiment McMurphy shares is true. Let the school who has not sinned can cast the first stone.
Michael Penix Blew It
I hate to be that guy, but I gotta call a spade a spade. Washington needed Michael Penix to be Superman to win this game. Even after his early struggles, the Huskies hung tough, making it a one-score game in the third quarter. Maybe he didn’t need superpowers. After all, Batman won plenty of battles without them. Unfortunately for U-W fans, he flopped worse than those Justice League movies.
Entering the game former Washington quarterback and current Fox analyst Brock Huard told Andy Staples that Penix is as accurate down the field as any quarterback he’s seen, with one exception. In the Apple Cup the pressure and weight of the game got to him and he consistently missed high. That’s exactly what happened in Houston. Overthrow after overthrow compounded. When Penix finally connected downfield with a wideout, potentially sparking a game-tying drive, a penalty overturned the long gain. Explosive plays were the only path to a victory and Penix could not deliver on the big stage.
Who’s the Most Famous Person in the Box for Michigan vs. Washington?
This question seems like an obvious answer for many, but think about it for a minute. For about a decade or so, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods were the most famous athletes in the world. The younger generation certainly still recognizes MJ, thanks to his iconic brand, but do they see his face as much as they Stephen A. Smith? Do they consume his content on a daily basis like they might listen to Travis Scott? The answer is probably Michael Jordan, but this sports fan noticed Stephen A. Smith’s hairline before identifying anyone else.
Hugh Freeze is Calling Plays at Auburn
Allow me one moment to take a break from CFB Playoff talk to share what’s happening with our friends on The Plains.
The first-year Auburn head coach spoke at length about the importance of delegating at SEC Media Days. He was happy to pass the play-calling baton to Phillip Montgomery. After all, a head coach has a pretty full plate already. Thirteen games later Freeze is changing his tune.
For the seventh straight season Auburn will have a different offensive play-caller. They may not have continuity, but they are consistent. Freeze fired Montgomery and is now assuming play-calling duties for the Tigers in year two. There’s never a dull moment on The Plains.
The End of an Era
College football is in a constant state of change. It’s taking on a new evolution in 2024. Conferences will hardly resemble their former selves and the postseason is receiving the biggest facelift in the sport’s history. The 12-team CFB Playoff will dramatically change the way we consume the sport, but it’s unclear exactly how. Will it be better or worse? We’ll be debating that for years to come.
4-Team CFB Playoff Champions
Which National Champion was the best? I’d love to see Joe Burrow’s offense go up against Georgia’s historic 2021 defense.
2014: No. 4 Ohio State
2015: No. 2 Alabama
2016: No. 2 Clemson
2017: No. 4 Alabama
2018: No. 2 Clemson
2019: No. 1 LSU
2020: No. 1 Alabama
2021: No. 3 Georgia
2022: No. 1 Georgia
2023: No. 1 Michigan
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