It certainly didn’t happen as quickly or as painlessly as most expected, but Jim Harbaugh finally delivered a national championship back to Ann Arbor.

Most knew heading into the 2023 season that this was Harbaugh’s best shot at getting the job done, and the expectations were as high as they had ever been for the football program. The Wolverines returned a whole host of veterans like Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Mike Barrett, Kris Jenkins, Mike Sainristil, and Blake Corum. Top to bottom, it looked like the best roster in the country and, as it turns out, it was.

Although the season was a massive success, the Wolverines faced their fare share of adversity. It began when Harbaugh announced that he would be serving a self-imposed three game suspension for apparent recruiting violations back in 2020. Not long after that suspension was over, the sign-stealing controversy took over the College Football world – with many prominent figures calling for the Big Ten and the NCAA to shut down Michigan’s season before they had a shot at playing for the conference title or a national title.

With pressure from seemingly all corners of the college football world to do something, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti stepped in and issued another three game suspension for Harbaugh to close out the regular season. This meant that the Wolverines would be without Harbaugh for the toughest stretch of the season, including contests at Penn State and Maryland, and home against Ohio State.

The Wolverines never flinched.

After finishing the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record, Michigan made quick work of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship game, setting the stage for an epic matchup with Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game – and the two college football blue bloods would square off in the Rose Bowl to settle things. In what was one of the most memorable games in Michigan Football history, the Wolverines disposed of the Crimson Tide in overtime under the lights in Pasadena.

The following week, Michigan made the trip to Houston to play for the biggest prize in all of college football. While a majority of “experts” and analysts had picked against Michigan (as was often the case all season long), the Wolverines once again rose to the challenge and did so in dominant fashion over Washington.

The end result was a perfect 15-0 season, one that will likely be remembered as the greatest season in Michigan Football history.

Once again, Harbaugh’s future at Michigan is a bit uncertain as he explores opportunities for an NFL return. Regardless of how it all plays out in the coming days, it will never take away from the fact that he did exactly what he came to Michigan to do – beat Ohio State, win Big Ten Championships, and win a National Championship.