Many of the Michigan Wolverine fan base called for Jim Harbaugh to be fired following his fifth straight loss to Ohio State in 2019, but since then he has proven himself to be the head coach that Michigan hoped for when he was hired in 2015.

For many Michigan and Ohio State fans, “The Game” surpasses any other competition that either team faces. It does not matter how you perform during the first eleven games of the season — if you want to call it a successful season for either squad, you must beat the other.

Prior to the 2021 game, Ohio State had won eight years in a row, but Michigan running back Hassan Haskins led Michigan to a 42-27 victory, with five rushing touchdowns.

That was a year ago, and since then Michigan had graduated most of its defensive starters, and were nine-point underdogs against that team down South this year. They had lost their Heisman Candidate running back Blake Corum to a knee injury, and were headed to Columbus to face the second ranked team in the country. Nobody from Fox Sports or ESPN — except for former Michigan Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson — picked the Wolverines to win.

And they still won.

They didn’t just win, they showed to be the superior team, especially in the second half. Michigan outscored Ryan Day’s team 28-3 after halftime, while intercepting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud not once, but twice. Sophomore running back Donovan Edwards, who was also dealing with an injured hand, finished with over 200 yards on the ground, including a 75- and an 85-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

In the past two years, Day’s Buckeyes have been outscored 87-50 by the Wolverines. Day is the first Buckeye head coach since John Cooper to have a losing record to Michigan, which proves how far smack talk from an inferior team gets you.

Unlike Day, Harbaugh can deliver on a promise. He delivered in 1986 as Michigan’s quarterback, saying, “We’ll beat Ohio State, we’ll be in Pasadena on January 1.”

And they did.

All of this is proof that all Jim Harbaugh needed was his team. His team that he recruited, his coaching staff that he hired, and his quarterback that fits his play style.

Even during a somewhat rocky season, current quarterback and 5-star sophomore J.J. McCarthy delivered when it mattered, throwing three touchdowns and running one in. Ohio State’s nine penalties for 91 yards is prime evidence of an undisciplined, inferior team that lost to a faster, stronger, better-coached team.

After 25 years of let down, Michigan football is back and here to stay.