The Most Outrageous Takes Against Alabama from Michigan Fans
The Michigan Wolverines won the 2023 national championship. And they sure are letting the world know about it. The way the Wolverines and their fans are celebrating can be warranted for 2023, but to automatically start staking claim to things beyond it is another. In this article, I go into some stats for Michigan recently against the SEC, and how they still have some work to do.
The Michigan Wolverines who were led by Jim Harbaugh in 2023 will not be in 2024. The Michigan Alumnus ditched his alma mater for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL after nine season in Ann Arbor.
Nonetheless, the Wolverines had a spectacular team and season in 2023, defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide and Washington Huskies on their way to a national championship, the team’s first since 1997.
Wolverine fans are boasting loudly over the national championship, and more specifically about beating the Nick Saban led Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl semifinal.
The main theme from Michigan fans as seen in this Reddit post is that Michigan sent Nick Saban into retirement.
Saban himself has made it known that the primary reasons for his retirement was the ever-changing landscape of college athletics. So for Michigan fans to think it is because they beat him one time when they lost the two times prior is an interesting take to say the least.
Saban has also lost many games throughout his career, including playoff games and national championships. So for a fan base to think that one game was the reason for Saban stepping down come across extremely ignorant.
However, Wolverine fans may want to pump the brakes some when it comes to bragging against the SEC. Sure, they won a national championship. And sure, they are the winningest program in college football history with 1,004 wins. That does not account for however recent challenges the Wolverines have had against the SEC.
Since 2010, the Wolverines have a 3-7 record against the SEC. This record includes two against Alabama, one against Mississippi State and two against South Carolina.
While it is inarguable that the Wolverines seemed to have gotten over the playoff hump of losing in 2023, what should not be lost is the fact that it is only one win against their seven losses since 2010.
If the Wolverines can prove that they will stay put amongst the nations elite, then I think their fans deserve to brag. However to this point, the Big Ten is a conference that has only won two national championships since the beginning of the college football playoff in 2013, and the Wolverines only stake claim to one of those.
The only other thing the Wolverines can claim are playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022, which turned into losses against TCU and Georgia.
So in the famous words of former NFL head coach Dennis Green, “if you want to crown them, crown them.” I am of the school of thought however that we should pump the brakes.
Kudos to the Wolverines on their tremendous season. But longer term, it is a must wait and see.