Michigan Football: Jim Harbaugh's Road to Winning the Big Ten

It’s been over 10 years since Michigan won a share of the Big Ten title and the path to the championship has changed dramatically. The conference has expanded and split into two divisions with a conference championship game determining the Big Ten crown.

But more importantly both Ohio State and Michigan State have developed into elite programs while Michigan has been spinning its wheels first under Rich Rodriguez and then Brady Hoke.

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Jim Harbaugh who had famously guaranteed a victory over Ohio State during his playing days avoided setting a timetable for when Michigan would challenge for the Big Ten title.

“We have great expectations for the first week, really great expectations for the first day of practice, the first team meeting,” said Harbaugh during his first press conference. “And I don't have any guarantee for you if that's what you're looking for.”

Fans expect a quick return to gridiron glory but the road to the Big Ten title is a much more daunting task than the last time Michigan claimed a share of the Big Ten title in 2004.


More Teams Competing


The Big Ten was a national punchline when Penn State joined the conference in 1993 but retained its Big Ten name. Now the conference has ballooned to 14 teams while still holding on to its Big Ten moniker. The increased number of teams has made the competition especially fierce for the conference title. The addition of Nebraska and Penn State have added two more traditional powers to the Big Ten race. 


Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

There are simply more teams to battle for the title—the days of the big two (Michigan and Ohio State) and little eight are over.

Tough Division

Michigan plays in the tough Big Ten East division along with Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State. Both Ohio State and Michigan State are playing at an elite level—with Michigan State claiming the 2013 conference title and Ohio State winning this past season’s title on the way to winning the national championship.

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Harbaugh will need to find a way to beat both Ohio State and Michigan State in the same season, a task that has eluded his predecessors.

Conference Championship Game

When Harbaugh played quarterback at Michigan and up until the creation of the Big Ten championship game in 2011 it was possible to share the Big Ten championship. Lloyd Carr won five Big Ten titles but only two were won outright. Now there’s only one champion determined by claiming the division and then winning the conference championship game.

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If Harbaugh can lead Michigan to win the east division, it will need to beat a team from the west division to add to its conference-leading 42 Big Ten championships. Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota have all played competitive football in past seasons and are likely opponents to represent the west division.

All season statistics from mgoblue.com, official University of Michigan athletic department web site.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand

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