A Long Awaited Victory: Michigan Wins the "Natty", Ends 27 Year Drought

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

On Monday, January 8th, 2024, the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies faced off in the National Championship, and the Wolverines prevailed.
by Drew Caraway

On Monday, January 8th, 2024, the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies faced off in the National Championship, and the Wolverines prevailed.
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The Wolverines have been in a “drought” of championships since their last in 1997 (The Athletic). “It’s such a glorious feeling,” Harbaugh said (Athlon Sports). Harbaugh has a history of coaching and a history of underperforming when it matters, especially in the postseason. However, this year isn’t the same.

graphic by ClutchPoints

For All the Glory
The Michigan Wolverines beat the Washington Huskies 34-13. The running back room led the way, with Blake Corum (Right, ESPN) having 134 yards and 2 touchdowns and Donovan Edwards (Left, ESPN) having 104 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 carries, resulting in 17.3 yards per rush, an absurd stat. The Offensive MVP went to Blake Corum, and the Defensive MVP went to Will Johnson, who finished the game with four tackles and a game changing interception (Yahoo Sports).

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Harbaugh’s Coaching Career
Although Harbaugh played 15-years in the NFL, he spent eight years of his career helping his father, Jack, as an “offensive consultant” at Western Kentucky University. He would go looking for prospects for the school’s football program. After his football career, he took the job as the (at the time) Oakland Raiders quarterback coach for two seasons. Following that, he was named head football coach at San Diego State University for three seasons, before taking Stanford University’s head coaching position for another four seasons. Although Harbaugh was offered an extension with the Cardinals, he took over as the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, and stayed until 2014, where he eventually took the Michigan head coach position, and has stayed ever since. This is his first championship, joining his brother and father in the winning circle (Wikipedia).

The Road to Victory
The team had an easy and hard schedule compared to other teams in the NCAA, finishing 51/133, with an average opponent ranking of 57.50, from (Power Rankings Guru). However, according to the AP Poll, Michigan had five ranked wins (Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa in the B10 Championship, Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Washington in the National Championship) and won by an average of 13.8 points.

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(picture by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Don’t Forget the Huskies!
Although Washington got blown out in the National Championship, they still had an incredible season overall. Maxwell Award Winner and Heisman Finalist QB Michael Penix Jr. led the way for the Huskies, having over 4,900 passing yards and 36 touchdown passes (CFB Stats).

The Huskies won the final PAC12 Championship, beating Oregon for a second time, and securing their spot in the College Football Playoff, especially with Georgia losing the next day. 


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The Wolverines sit atop the AP Poll for the end of the season, with the Huskies falling right behind at #2. There are still many questions, involving Harbaugh leaving for the NFL or getting suspended for the current scandals, but those will have to be answered at a different time. For now, fans must go back to their regular lives, and their regular Saturdays.

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