No wonder some people call the Washington Post the #FakeNews
Let's parse this idiotic article a bit:
First, the obligatory "winningest program in the sport’s history." You don't start off an article with that tripe unless it's going to be a full blown (heh, heh) fluff piece.
"The Wolverines blossomed from 5-7 the year before into a 10-win team." Blossomed? In a freaking football article? Can we get any more fluffy than that?
Now we get into the serious stupidity. "Just 21 major-college teams can claim to have won 70 percent of their games since 2015, and Michigan is among them." (It's actually 22 teams, but Mr. Fake News can't count.) Michigan checks in at #20 on that list of prestigious programs, tied with Northwestern and Memphis, each with a .700 winning percentage. Like 20th is something to be proud of. Of course, Michigan's winning percentage is well behind legit powerhouses like Alabama (.933), Clemson (.911), Ohio State (.878), and Oklahoma (.854). It's also behind such juggernauts as Oklahoma State (.775), South Florida (.769), San Diego State (.762), Boise State (.756), and Houston (.750), as well as those old nemeses Toledo (.775) and Appalachian State (.750). And to add insult to injury, even Stanford has a better winning percentage (.756).
"Over the past three seasons, Michigan has been 15.8 points per game better than the average college football team." So Michigan is a better-than-average college football team. So what? Better-than-average gets you 3rd place in the Big Ten East, in a good year. Isn't the "winningest program in the sport's history" supposed to be more than better-than-average?
"Another way to measure Harbaugh’s tenure is his monumental impact on recruiting. Michigan ranked as low as 49th in recruiting before Harbaugh. He has produced three consecutive classes in the top 25, including two in the top five." Monumental impact? Fluffy is definitely gagging a bit on that one. One of those "top 25" classes was the class of 2018, which was #24 according to Rivals (Mr. Fake News' choice, not mine). Let's ignore the fact that "monumental" recruiters are supposed to bring in better and better classes over time, not drop 20 spots from Year 2 to year 3 as Harbaugh did. Let's also ignore the fact that pulling in #24 recruiting classes is a pretty good way to remain at #20 in winning percentage. Let's finally ignore the fact that Harbaugh was partially responsible for that 2015 recruiting class that ranked 49th in the country. Let's instead focus on those recruiting classes of 2016 and 2017, the ones that supposedly earned Harbaugh his "monumental" status.
As we all know, quantity counts for a lot in recruiting. Harbaugh's class of 2016 was ranked #4 largely because it had 29 signees. The average recruit had a star rating of 3.59, which was #8 in the country. Harbaugh's class of 2017 had 30 signees. Although it had a higher average star rating than the class of 2019 (3.67 stars per recruit), the class ranking dropped to #9 in the country. So in terms of average recruit, Harbaugh barely cracked the top 10 in his two monumental classes, a clear case of quantity over quality.
But those were Harbaugh's good years. In his class of 2018, the average star rating per recruit dropped all the way down to 3.32 (19th best), which is on par with South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Ole Miss, not exactly playoff contenders. Harbaugh's class of 2020 currently checks in a 3.3 stars per recruit (23rd best), so that number appears to be the new normal up in Ann Arbor.
Over the three-year period in question (2016 to 2018), Harbaugh's average recruit has a 3.56 star rating. By way of comparison, Dabo Swinney's recruits have an average star rating of 3.81; Urban Meyer's recruits have an average star rating of 3.92; and Nick Saban's recruits have an average star rating of 3.96. Maybe that's why Swinney, Meyer, and Saban are winning national championships while Harbaugh is mired in the middle of the Big Ten East and losing Outback Bowls.
Now the excuse machine shifts into overdrive: "Those high-profile — and highly criticized — losses have largely come by narrow margins and terrible luck. One, to Michigan State in 2015, was among the most improbable in the history of the sport; another, the following year against Ohio State, was effectively decided by a controversial fourth-and-one conversion."
First, bad coaches suffer improbable losses - that's the essence of bad coaching. John Cooper, anyone?
Second, the "fourth-and-one conversion" was not controversial in any way. The call on the field was first down. The replay official confirmed it. All currently available video and photographic evidence proves that the call was correct. And let's remember one thing - that conversion did not "effectively decide" the game. Michigan could have subsequently stopped Ohio State for the win, or at least forced another overtime period. Instead they melted down on the very next play and gave up the game-winning touchdown. Again, coaching.
"Five of the team’s past eight losses have been decided by one score or less, and the program is just 4-8 in one-score games since Harbaugh ... arrived in Ann Arbor." Aren't good coaches supposed to win close games?
"Furthermore, the past 10 teams to beat Michigan under Harbaugh have finished the season ranked in the top 17 of the Associated Press poll." So Michigan is maybe the 18th-best team in the country during Harbaugh's tenure. Yep, that's the stuff of greatness right there. By the way, there are not 10 teams that have beaten Ohio State under Urban Meyer, and he's been in Columbus twice as long as Harbaugh's been at Ann Arbor.
After some wonky advanced metrics crap, we get back to the fluffery:
"But Harbaugh has found ways to manufacture wins despite an unlucky streak in close games, an arduous schedule and quarterback play that would cripple most teams." Mr. Fake News conveniently declines to mention any wins that Harbaugh has "manufactured", and he fails to explain how Michigan's schedule is any more "arduous" than, say, Ohio State's or Penn State's. And can't that "crippling quarterback play" be laid right at the feet of the Quarterback Whisperer himself?
And finally we end on this: "The Wolverines may not be at the top of the heap, but make no mistake: They’re clawing their way up." Actually, Skippy, they clawed their way back from 3rd place in the Big Ten East to 4th place last year.
This garbage would be embarrassing coming from MGoBlow, but it shows up in the Washington Post?
The TL;DR version: Harbaugh is a better-than-average coach, a better-than-average recruiter, can't win big games, and can't develop a quarterback. And all that greatness costs Michigan only $7-million a year. But, winningest CFB program of all time!
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