Michigan which finished No. 3 in the final AP Poll, is tabbed as ESPN‘s No. 5 team for next season:
Outlook: It might have taken seven seasons, but Jim Harbaugh finally broke through what looked like a ceiling at his alma mater. The season ended with a flop, a 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl, but that won’t take away from a breakout campaign. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade, won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and reached the playoff for the first time. After there was mounting pressure to fire Harbaugh following the 2020 season, he shook up his coaching staff, and the changes paid off. First-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald did fantastic work, and he might have to do even more next season with Hutchinson and Ojabo turning pro. Identifying Haskins’ replacement and settling a quarterback battle between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy will be priorities this spring.
