Most Memorable Michigan Games of the Jim Harbaugh era
Every game ranked from 114 to 1. You’re welcome.
Many Michigan fans look back fondly on Jim Harbaugh’s 9-year coaching tenure as a Golden Age in the program’s storied history. And in many ways it was. But to fully appreciate these 9 seasons of Michigan football, the good needs to be remembered with the bad. What better way to do this than to rank all 114 games of his career from least to most memorable? Let me be clear: many of his most “memorable” games did not turn out the way we wanted. But a double-OT loss to Ohio State is certainly more memorable than a blowout win over SMU in the third week of the season. To be sure, there’s a lot more good than bad on this list (Harbaugh won 86 games at Michigan and lost only 25. And yes, that doesn’t add up to 114 because he was suspended for a few of those. I still included those games in my list). I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Did Any of These Games Actually Happen?
114. Michigan 45 — SMU 20 (September 15, 2018)
I’m pretty sure this game was never actually played.
113. Michigan 36 — Cincinnati 14 (September 7, 2017)
Same with this one.
112. Michigan 35 — UNLV 7 (September 9, 2023)
The most forgettable game of an unforgettable season.
111. Michigan 28 — UNLV 7 (September 19, 2015)
Apparently Jim Harbaugh played UNLV twice??? Who knew?
110. Michigan 63 — Northern Illinois 10 (September 18, 2021)
I’m pretty sure we’re just making games up at this point
109. Michigan 38 — Maryland 7 (November 2, 2019)
It’s appropriate that Maryland is the first Big 10 game on this list. They played Michigan literally every year of the Jim Harbaugh era and maybe gave us like 2 semi-memorable games?
108. Michigan 35 — Maryland 10 (November 11, 2017)
If it wasn’t for them randomly beating Texas two seasons in a row, I’m pretty sure most people would’ve forgotten that Maryland was even in the Big 10.
107. Michigan 59 — Maryland 3 (November 5th, 2016)
Anyone who claims to remember this game is lying.
106. Michigan 59 — Maryland 18 (November 20th, 2021)
Yawn
105. Michigan 41 — Illinois 8 (October 22, 2016)
Does anyone remember Michigan playing Illinois in 2016? I sure don’t.
104. Michigan 34 — Nebraska 3 (November 12, 2022)
Do I have a good reason for ranking this game as “more memorable” than any of the ones before it? Not really.
103. Michigan 49, Rutgers 16 (November 7, 2015)
Rutgers might have been horrible during Jim Harbaugh’s entire tenure, but there were actually a handful of memorable games they played against Michigan over those 9 years. This was not one of them.
102. Michigan 29 — Indiana 7 (November 6, 2021)
Michigan had a lot of surprisingly memorable games against the Hoosiers during the Harbaugh era. This was not one of them.
101. Michigan 41 — Purdue 13 (November 3, 2023)
This game was played barely over a year ago, which I guess makes it slightly more memorable than the ones above it?
There’s at Least 1 Semi-Memorable Thing from Each of These Games
100. Michigan 51 — UCF 14 (September 10, 2016)
Scott Frost was coaching UCF in this game. I guess that’s kinda memorable?
99. Michigan 56 — Nebraska 10 (September 22, 2018)
Scott Frost again! And he lost by even more this time!
98. Michigan 33 — Northwestern 7 (October 23, 2021)
This game was kinda close at halftime.
97. Michigan 52 — Rutgers 0 (September 28, 2019)
The game itself wasn’t really memorable, but it was kinda nice to win big after getting our asses handed to us by Wisconsin the week before.
96. Michigan 42 — Rutgers 7 (November 10th, 2018)
Isiah Pacheco had an 80-yard run in the 1st quarter to make it 7–7.
95. Michigan 35 — Rutgers 14 (October 28, 2017)
Rutgers always seems to have one big play every time they play Michigan. This time, it was another long run in the 1st quarter to again make it 7–7. This game was virtually the same as the 2018 version, but I’m ranking it a tad higher because it was basically a moral victory for Rutgers after their MUCH more memorable debacle from the year before.
94. Michigan 31 — Rutgers 7 (September 23, 2023)
Rutgers threw a 69-yard TD pass to take a 7–0 lead on the eventual National Champions.
93. Michigan 42 — Maryland 21 (October 6, 2018)
Maryland had a 98-yard kickoff return in the 1st quarter to take a 7–3 lead. But this game wasn’t as close as the final score makes it appear.
92. Michigan 49 — Western Michigan 3 (September 8, 2018)
I’ve always enjoyed these in-state games. This particular one wasn’t super memorable, but it was the first home game of the 2018 season (Michigan lost in South Bend the week before).
91. Michigan 47 — Western Michigan 14 (September 4, 2021)
This game was a season opener, which is the only memorable thing about it. In hindsight, 2021 was a breakthrough season for Harbaugh, but at the moment this just seemed like a mediocre opening to another mediocre season.
90. Michigan 40 — Middle Tennessee State 21 (August 31, 2019)
MTSU actually took a 7–0 lead in the 2019 season opener. But I’d be lying if I said I remember anything else about this game.
89. Michigan 30 — East Carolina 3 (September 2, 2023)
Another complete yawner of a season opener. Expectations for this team were higher than any other in the Harbaugh era, and this game told us basically nothing about whether these expectations would actually be met. The only really memorable thing about it was the suspension of Harbaugh to begin the season, but no one actually thought this would cause them to lose to East Carolina.
88. Michigan 51 — Colorado State 7 (September 3, 2022)
The last in a string of mostly forgettable season openers, I’ll put this one ahead of the others because of the intrigue surrounding the QB competition between Cade McNamara and JJ McCarthy. McNamara started this game and was the same low-risk, low-reward guy he had been the season before. The next game (in which JJ would get his chance to shine) was a bit more memorable.
87. Wisconsin 24 — Michigan 10 (November 18, 2017)
2017 was mostly a season to forget. This game was no exception. Arguably the most forgettable loss of Harbaugh’s Michigan career.
86. South Carolina 26 — Michigan 19 (January 1, 2018 — Outback Bowl)
I’m not going to lie, I initially had this game ranked much higher because I thought it was the Jadaveon Clowney game. Turns out Michigan played South Carolina in the Outback Bowl twice in 5 years. Who knew??? This has to be the most forgettable Bowl Game in Michigan football history.
85. Michigan 59 — Connecticut 0 (September 17, 2022)
JJ McCarthy’s first game after winning the starting QB job.
84. Michigan 28 — Purdue 10 (September 23, 2017)
Purdue actually took a 10–7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
83. Michigan 52 — Rutgers 17 (November 5, 2022)
Rutgers actually took a 17–14 lead into the locker room at halftime.
82. Michigan 31 — Indiana 10 (October 8, 2022)
Michigan always seems to have surprisingly competitive games against the Hoosiers. This one was tied 10–10 at halftime.
81. Michigan 39 — Indiana 14 (November 23, 2019)
Indiana led 14–7 early in the 2nd quarter of this “trap” game.
80. Michigan 42 — Illinois 25 (October 12, 2019)
This was supposed to be the Brandon Peters revenge game, but he got injured beforehand and didn’t play. Illinois actually came back from a 28–0 deficit to make it 28–25 early in the 4th quarter, but Michigan put the game away late.
79. Alabama 35 — Michigan 16 (January 1, 2020 — Citrus Bowl)
Literally no one expected Michigan to win this one. The Wolverines actually led 16–14 at halftime before the Tide rolled in the 2nd half. An expected and predictable end to another disappointing season.
These Ones are Actually Kind of Memorable
78. Michigan 52 — Indiana 7 (October 14, 2023)
JJ McCarthy absolutely balled out in this one. His 54-yard TD pass to Colston Loveland early in the 2nd quarter was one of the best of his college career.
77. Michigan 31 — Bowling Green 6 (September 16, 2023)
JJ threw 3 interceptions in this game. Although the outcome was never really in doubt, it raised questions about whether this team was really the National Title contender so many had expected them to be.
76. Michigan 52 — Minnesota 10 (October 7, 2023)
And this game answered those questions in one of the most dominant performances of the entire Harbaugh era. Will Johnson had a pick-6 on the first play of the game and the Wolverines never took their foot off the gas. Minnesota wasn’t a terrible team, but that night they didn’t belong on the same field as the Wolverines.
75. Michigan 28 — Penn State 16 (November 21, 2015)
Pretty much the least consequential Michigan/Penn State game of the Jim Harbaugh/James Franklin rivalry. Both teams were mediocre. The game itself was mediocre. But every Michigan/Penn State matchup is at least somewhat memorable, so I’ll give this one the benefit of the doubt.
74. Michigan 29 — Air Force 13 (September 16, 2017)
Air Force kept this game competitive into the 2nd half. Harbaugh’s first 2 teams had dominated inferior competition: this was the first sign that the 2017 season might not go as smoothly.
73. Michigan 20 — Indiana 10 (November 19, 2016)
Classic trap game against Indiana. The Hoosiers led 10–6 in the 3rd quarter before Michigan put the game away late with two long De’Veon Smith runs.
72. Michigan 28 — Maryland 0 (October 3, 2015)
This one is mostly memorable as the 1st Big 10 game of Harbaugh’s coaching career. It was also the 2nd of 3 consecutive shutouts.
71. Michigan 63 — Hawaii 3 (September 3, 2016)
Michigan had high expectations coming into Harbaugh’s 2nd season as Head Coach. This season opener proved those expectations were justified.
70. Michigan 35 — Oregon State 7 (September 12, 2015)
I had a hard time ranking this game. It was the first home game for Harbaugh as the head coach of his alma mater. But the game itself was a snooze. I guess #70 seems about right.
69. Michigan 27 — Iowa 14 (October 1, 2022)
Nice!
68. Florida 41 — Michigan 15 (December 29, 2018 — Peach Bowl)
Not nice! A disastrous end to a once-promising season.
67. Michigan 20 — Rutgers 13 (September 25, 2021)
A surprisingly competitive game. Michigan took a 20–3 lead into halftime, then held on in the second half. I doubt most fans leaving the game expected this to be Harbaugh’s first Big 10 championship team, especially after the disastrous 2020 season.
66. Michigan 10 — Iowa 3 (October 5, 2019)
2019 was a weird season, and this was probably the most underwhelming ranked win of Harbaugh’s Michigan career. Oh, you scored 10 points and beat Iowa? Big whoop.
65. Michigan 45 — Nebraska 7 (September 30, 2023)
The only thing memorable about this game was the Roman Wilson Catch. But damn was it memorable.
64. Penn State 27— Michigan 17 (November 28, 2020)
An embarrassing end to an embarrassing season. Penn State was winless coming into this game. A COVID outbreak afterward canceled the rest of Michigan’s season and might have saved Jim Harbaugh’s job.
63. Michigan 31 — Indiana 20 (November 17, 2018)
Indiana always seems to play Michigan tough, especially the week before Ohio State. This was no exception, as Indiana took a 17–15 lead into halftime. Michigan dominated the 2nd half, but not before Indiana showed that you could expose Don Brown’s defense with crossing routes…
62. Michigan 33 — Minnesota 10 (November 4, 2017)
Probably the most impressive win of the 2017 season (which admittedly isn’t saying much). Khaleke Hudson had an out-of-nowhere incredible performance that had people comparing him to Jabrill Peppers.
61. Michigan 56 — Hawaii 10 (September 10, 2022)
The game that won JJ McCarthy the starting job. He played an almost perfect game (albeit against inferior competition), and showed why his ceiling as a player would be needed if Michigan was going to seriously compete for a National Championship.
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60. Michigan 44 — Michigan State 10 (November 16, 2019)
Always nice to blow out Little Brother.
59. Michigan 29 — Michigan State 7 (October 29, 2022)
Little Brother took a 7–3 lead late in the 1st quarter. It was all Big Brother from there.
58. Ohio State 42 — Michigan 13 (November 28, 2015)
No one expected Harbaugh to be competitive vs. Ohio State in his first season, and he wasn’t. But it’s still The Game, so I couldn’t justify putting it lower than this.
57. Wisconsin 49 — Michigan 11 (November 14, 2020)
Arguably the most embarrassing loss of Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan career. Even his biggest defenders (like me) started questioning if it was time to part ways.
56. Michigan 26 — Iowa 0 (December 2, 2023 — Big 10 Championship)
About as forgettable as a Big 10 Championship game could possibly be. Michigan had already won 2 Big Ten Titles in a row, and by this point it was business as usual. Everyone pretty much knew Iowa’s offense wasn’t going to score. Although Michigan started sluggish, once they went up 10–0 at the end of the 1st quarter the game was essentially over.
55. Utah 24 — Michigan 17 (September 3, 2015)
Considering this was the first game of the Jim Harbaugh era, it was pretty forgettable. The game wasn’t a blowout, but was never really in doubt either: Michigan scored a garbage-time Touchdown with 54 seconds left to make it appear closer than it actually was. As far as debuts go, it could’ve been better could’ve been worse. But it was a debut nonetheless, and that makes it memorable if nothing else.
54. Michigan 49 — Penn State 10 (September 24, 2016)
This game is more memorable in hindsight. Penn State was coming off a loss to Pitt: no one thought they’d go on to beat Ohio State and win the Big 10, especially after this one.
53. Michigan 38 — Northwestern 0 (October 10, 2015)
Third shutout in a row: a first in Michigan Football history.
52. Michigan 31 — BYU 0 (September 26, 2015)
The first truly impressive win of the Harbaugh era. BYU was ranked #22 coming into this one: Michigan not only won, but dominated. The first in a streak of three consecutive shutouts. Also, this De’Veon Smith mini-Beat Quake is still one of the most badass plays I’ve ever seen.
51. Michigan 49 — Michigan State 0 (October 21, 2023)
Maybe the most enjoyable game of the entire 2023 National Championship season, and the most thorough demolition of Little Brother in the Harbaugh era.
50. Michigan 31 — Washington 10 (September 11, 2021)
Michigan was coming off the infamous 2–4 COVID season that forced Harbaugh to take a pay cut. The fanbase’s morale was arguably at an all-time low going into this game. Although Washington ended up being pretty bad, it sure felt good to easily beat another Power Conference team. This was also the breakout game for Michigan Legend Blake Corum.
49. Michigan 49 — Minnesota 24 (October 24, 2020)
The highlight of an otherwise disastrous COVID season. For one game, we all thought Joe Milton’s “Speed in Space” offense could be lethal.
48. Ohio State 31 — Michigan 20 (November 25, 2017)
A surprisingly competitive game, considering Michigan’s QB was John O’Korn. Michigan might genuinely have won had JT Barrett not been injured. But when the greatest screen-pass thrower in college football history was replaced by future Heisman Finalist and 1st-Round Pick Dwayne Haskins, the game was essentially over.
47. Indiana 38 — Michigan 21 (November 7, 2020)
Michael Penix’s Hoosiers rolled Michigan for Indiana’s first win over Michigan in like 50 years or something (I can’t remember the actual number and was too lazy to look it up). Indiana was a genuinely good team in 2020, and Michigan was terrible. Honestly, it’s kind of shocking Indiana only beat Harbaugh once given how tough they always played him. They deserved this one.
46. Michigan 27 — Indiana 20 (October 14, 2017)
Speaking of which…Indiana took Michigan into overtime in this one. It won’t be the last Michigan/Indiana OT game on this list.
45. Michigan 34 — Maryland 27 (September 24, 2022)
An underrated and entertaining game (especially for Michigan/Maryland). Maryland came out with a fantastic game plan on offense and put the Wolverines on their heels early. Michigan was able to pull away in 4th quarter, but this is one I remember watching with wayyy more nerves than I was expecting.
44. Michigan 31 — Maryland 24 (November 18, 2023)
Speaking of which…the most memorable Michigan/Maryland game of the Harbaugh era was this “trap” game, nestled between Penn State and Ohio State during Michigan’s 2023 National Championship run. Harbaugh was in the middle of serving his 3-game suspension, and Michigan let Maryland hang around despite taking an early lead. Maryland had the ball down 29–24 late in the 4th quarter with the chance to take the lead before a safety put the Terps away for good.
Legitamately Memorable Games
43. Michigan 48 — Rutgers 42 (November 21, 2020)
I don’t think I’ve ever felt more mixed emotions after watching a Michigan game. Sure, we beat Rutgers in Triple OT. On the flip side, it took us 3 OT’s to beat Rutgers. The most memorable thing about this game was Cade McNamara replacing Joe Milton as Michigan’s starting QB at halftime (what took them so long?). It would have been hard to believe at the time, but only a year later McNamera would help lead Michigan to their first Big 10 championship in 17 years.
42. Michigan 24 — Army 21 (September 7, 2019)
Ok scratch that, this one mixed my emotions even more. Michigan needed double OT to beat Army. Absolutely incredible. 2019 might have been the weirdest season of Harbaugh’s Michigan career, and this was probably the weirdest game of that season.
41. Ohio State 56 — Michigan 27 (November 30, 2019)
Michigan was in the middle of an up-and-down season and came in as underdogs. However, they were riding an impressive 4-game winning streak that included an absolute demolition of a Top-10 Notre Dame team. More importantly, I was there and Michigan had never lost a game with me in attendance. Hope was in the air. That hope quickly vanished with a couple of disgustingly beautiful Justin Fields deep balls (and a Quinn Nordin missed extra point). This is also where I’ll butt in and say that if Ryan Day had used Fields correctly, they would’ve won a Natty. But thankfully he didn’t and they didn’t.
40. Michigan 45 — Colorado 28 (September 17, 2016)
In my opinion, this was the most underrated game of the Harbaugh era. I remembered this being a widely entertaining and nerve-racking game, but I had forgotten just how close Colorado had come to upsetting us. The 2016 Buffs were actually a pretty good team, and quieted the Big House by taking a 21–7 lead in the first quarter. Unfortunately for Colorado, their QB sustained an injury early in the 2nd half and was never the same after that. Michigan cruised to a margin of victory that was not indicative of how much the #4 Wolverines were tested in this game.
39. Michigan 41 — Florida 7 (January 1, 2016 — Citrus Bowl)
The most dominant bowl performance from Michigan I can remember. This game was the perfect finish to a promising first season of the Harbaugh era, and one that planted hope for even better things in 2016. It seemed inconceivable that Harbaugh would fail to win a single Big 10 title or beat Ohio State once over the next 5 seasons.
38. Iowa 14 — Michigan 13 (November 12, 2016)
The first loss for Michigan in 2016 came on a last-second field goal in Kinnick Stadium. This game would probably rank higher, but it essentially didn’t matter for Michigan: as long as they could beat Ohio State two weeks later, they’d still win the Big 10 and probably go to the College Football Playoff. As weird as it sounds, this game ended up hurting Ohio State more: had Michigan won this game, the Buckeyes would have gone to the Big 10 Championship game instead of Penn State (the reasons for this are convoluted but this is true, feel free to fact check me). So I guess in a weird way this was the best loss of Jim Harbaugh’s career?
37. Michigan 19 — Illinois 17 (November 19, 2022)
Michigan needed a last-second field goal to win this game. Possibly even more important: Blake Corum went down with an injury that essentially sidelined him for the rest of the season. Much like the game above, it wouldn’t have mattered much if the outcome of this game had been different (Michigan would still have won the Big 10, gone to the College Football Playoff, and probably still played TCU). But this was the quintessential trap game, and was a nail-biter throughout.
36. Wisconsin 35 — Michigan 14 (September 21, 2019)
The Wisconsin game was an early-season measuring stick for Michigan during much of the Harbaugh era, and this game was no different. Michigan was coming off an extremely unimpressive win over Army, and this was their chance to steer the ship back on course. Instead, Wisconsin exposed Michigan on both offense and defense. Jonathan Taylor ran wild all day, finishing with over 200 yards. Michigan came into 2019 with fairly high expectations: they left this game completely shattered.
35. Michigan 38 — Wisconsin 13 (October 13, 2018)
As mentioned above, the Wisconsin game was often a measuring stick for Michigan, and this game reasserted the Wolverines as a true Big 10 Title contender after a down year in 2017. It was also the beginning of Chase Winnovich’s “Revenge Tour”: a 3-game stretch in which Michigan avenged 3 of their losses from the previous season.
34. Michigan 42 — Penn State 7 (November 3, 2018)
In the 3rd and final game of Michigan’s revenge tour, Michigan outclassed #14 Penn State in every way. The Nittany Lions scored a garbage-time touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go to avoid the shutout.
33. Michigan 33 — Florida 17 (September 2, 2017)
After a mostly successful but ultimately disappointing 2016 season, Michigan came into 2017 with a young but talented team and fairly low expectations. Although this game ended up being a mirage, it was a massive opening-game statement against a Florida team that ended up not being very good. I also thought Tarik Black was destined to become the next Braylon Edwards. Oh well.
32. Penn State 42 — Michigan 13 (October 21, 2017)
Penn State should’ve won the National Championship in 2017: that they didn’t might legitimately be the biggest stain on James Franklin’s legacy. This is probably the most watchable blowout loss I ever witnessed as a Michigan fan: everyone knew we were getting crushed, and honestly I was too in awe of Saquon Barkley for 60 minutes to actually feel upset about the pounding we were taking.
31. Michigan 20 — Northwestern 17 (September 29, 2018)
2018 Northwestern was a decent team that would go on to play in the Big 10 Championship game. In the first real test of the Shea Patterson era, the Wildcats went up 17–0 early in the 2nd quarter before Michigan’s defense clamped down. Karan Higdon basically put the offense on his back to give Michigan its first lead with just over 4 minutes left to play. A gutsy win against a gutsy Northwestern team.
30. Georgia 34 — Michigan 11 (December 31, 2021 — CFB Playoff)
After shocking the world by beating Ohio State and winning the Big 10 in the same season for the first time in 18 years, Michigan was just happy to be here. They were outclassed by a Bulldogs team that ended up winning the National Championship. Although the game itself was a complete disaster (and not even as close as the final score would indicate), it is memorable for being the first playoff game in the Jim Harbaugh era.
29. Michigan State 27 — Michigan 24 (October 31, 2020)
Michigan was riding high off their “Speed in Space” showcase win over Minnesota the week before. But when Big Brother gets cocky, it’s Little Brother’s chance to pounce. This game showed us that Speed in Space was a fraud, Joe Milton might not be the answer, and 2020 would be the longest 6-game season in Michigan football history.
28. Michigan State 14 — Michigan 10 (October 7, 2017)
I’m not sure if this should be titled “The Weather Game” or “The John O’Korn Game”. A downpour contributed to a sloppy game in which O’Korn threw 3 interceptions. In hindsight, the biggest loss of the season had been 2 weeks prior, when starting QB Wilton Speight went down with an injury. Although Speight wasn’t spectacular, O’Korn was probably the worst starting QB of the entire Harbaugh era. This was the ugliest game of Harbaugh’s 2nd ugliest season.
27. Michigan 29 — Minnesota 26 (October 31, 2015)
A back-and-forth game that ended with an epic goal-line stand on the 1-yard-line as time expired.
26. Michigan 43 — Purdue 22 (December 3rd, 2022 — Big 10 Championship)
This ended up being the most entertaining Championship Game of Michigan’s 3-peat Big Ten title run. Granted, Michigan was clearly the better team and pulled away at the end. But Aiden O’Connell and Chuck Sizzle made enough splash plays to keep the Boilermakers competitive.
25. Michigan 48 — Indiana 41 (November 14, 2015)
Speaking of entertaining, back-and-forth games, this double OT thriller was the best of some wild Michigan/Indiana matchups during the Harbaugh era. Future NFL running back Jordan Howard racked up 236 yards on the ground as Indiana’s offense rolled. Unfortunately for them, Jake Rudock and Jehu Chesson connected for 207 yards of their own, including 4 TDs. The Harbaugh era at Michigan certainly wasn’t known for shootouts like this one, but the rules never seem to apply when facing the Hoosiers.
24. Michigan 32 — Nebraska 29 (October 9, 2021)
The quintessential Scott Frost game: Nebraska played up to a superior opponent only to lose at the end on some dumb mistake. Michigan was coming off a big win against Wisconsin and seemed primed for a letdown. But unlike so many Harbaugh teams in the past, they weren’t going to let that happen. Also, Hassan Haskins was a badddd man.
23. Michigan 32 — Michigan State 23 (October 29, 2016)
Although the undefeated Wolverines were heavily favored against the 2–6 Spartans, the records can be thrown out in this rivalry. Little Brother had won 3 in a row against Michigan, including a stunning last-second win the year before. Michigan was able to hold on to this one and finally got Little Brother off their back. Jabril Peppers’ 2-point return with 1-second left was both an exclamation point and a sigh of relief.
22. Notre Dame 24 — Michigan 17 (September 1, 2018)
Michigan/Notre Dame is a fake rivalry and I will die on this hill. Real rivals play more than twice in 9 years. That said, when these teams do face each other the resulting game is usually pretty memorable. The 2018 season opener was no exception. Notre Dame spoiled Shea Patterson’s Michigan debut, and we all began wondering if maybe the former 5-star wasn’t the savior after all.
21. Michigan 45 — Notre Dame 14 (October 26, 2019)
This might be the second-most surprising win of the Harbaugh era. And much like the first, Hassan Haskins led the way. Michigan was a really weird team in 2019 and had pretty much failed every big test they had been given. For whatever reason, this one turned out completely different. The Wolverines dominated the Irish in a torrential downpour en route to one of the most shockingly lopsided games I have ever seen.
20. Michigan 14 — Wisconsin 7 (October 1, 2016)
This game is memorable for two reasons. First, it was Jim Harbaugh’s first top-10 win as Head Coach of Michigan. Second, Jourdan Lewis’s spectacular interception is arguably the most memorable play of Harbaugh’s entire Michigan tenure. The rest of this game was pretty boring (trust me, I was there), otherwise it would rank even higher.
19. Michigan 41 — Penn State 17 (October 15, 2022)
A Top-10 matchup that ended up not being very competitive. Michigan ran away with this one (literally) as both Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards ran for over 160 yards. This game proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Michigan’s 2021 Big 10 Championship was no fluke.
18. Penn State 28 — Michigan 21 (October 19, 2019)
I remember watching this game in a bar in Philadelphia. Everyone else in the bar (including the bartenders) were against me. I almost thought of leaving early after Penn State took a 21–0 lead midway through the second quarter. It would’ve been less heartbreaking had Michigan just given up there. But instead, Shea Patterson and Michigan came storming back. The Wolverines had a chance to tie it at the end before Ronnie Bell let the game slip through his fingers (literally).
17. Florida State 33 — Michigan 32 (December 30, 2016 — Orange Bowl)
Speaking of heartbreak…this one played out eerily similar to the one above. FSU jumped out to a big lead early, but Michigan came storming back, actually taking a 30–27 lead with 2 minutes left. But the Wolverines allowed a big return on the ensuing kickoff, and the always-reliable Jourdan Lewis allowed the game-winning TD over his outstretched arms with only seconds left to play. I still can’t believe this happened! This game was a fitting ending to what was a promising but ultimately unfulfilling 2016 season.
16. Michigan 38 — Wisconsin 17 (October 2, 2021)
As mentioned above, early season Michigan/Wisconsin games were often a test of the Wolverines mettle throughout Jim Harbaugh’s tenure. This game was no different. Michigan not only passed their first test of the 2021 season, they blew out a good Wisconsin team in Camp Randall Stadium. Maybe this was finally the year…
15. Michigan State 37 — Michigan 33 (October 30, 2021)
…or not. A few weeks later, the Wolverines seemed to confirm everyone’s suspicions: sure, Michigan may have improved from their disastrous COVID-shortened season, but they were still pretenders in the rugged Big 10 East. The Wolverines blew a 30–14 lead as Kenneth Walker ran wild in the second half. Michigan was certainly destined for another 10-win season in which they wouldn’t find a way to beat their two biggest rivals…
14. Michigan 21 — Penn State 17 (November 13, 2021)
Michigan had found a way to lose 2 weeks earlier in East Lansing. This time they’d find a way to win. Down 17–14 with under 4 minutes to go, Cade McNamara found Erick All for a 47-yard touchdown in what might have been the most crucial play in Jim Harbaugh’s entire Michigan career. Lose this one, and even a victory against Ohio State wouldn’t have led to a Big 10 Championship or a birth in the College Football Playoff. But the Wolverines lived to fight another day.
13. Michigan 21 — Michigan State 7 (October 20, 2018)
Jim Harbaugh’s first win on the road over a ranked team and the second game in the 2018 “Revenge Tour”. Devin Bush famously stomped on the Spartans logo which caused a brawl during pregame. This game also featured Donovan Peoples-Jones’s iconic “Paul Bunyan” celebration after scoring a 79-yard touchdown late in the 3rd quarter to break open what was up to that point a sloppy 7–7 contest.
12. Ohio State 62 — Michigan 39 (November 24, 2018)
For the first time in the Jim Harbaugh Era, Michigan was favored going into The Game against their archrival. This was finally the year! Instead, Ohio State exploited a weakness in Don Brown’s defense discovered the previous week by Indiana. Oh you’re going to blitz and play man coverage on every single play? We’ll just run crossing routes all day and put up 62 points. This game made it abundantly clear that Michigan needed to make some significant changes if they were ever going to beat their biggest rival. Either Harbaugh had to figure this thing out, or someone else would soon be coaching this team.
11. Michigan 42 — Iowa 3 (December 4, 2021 — Big 10 Championship)
The game itself was a complete snoozer. Everyone I was watching with was rooting against Michigan, but none of us could help making fun of Kirk Ferentz’s obsession with punting on 4th and short deep in Michigan territory. He played not to get blown out and got blown out. But no matter how lopsided the game was, we were going to enjoy it. This one was a long time coming. Also, Donovan Edwards' TD pass was incredible.
10. Michigan 78 — Rutgers 0 (October 8, 2016)
We all love Rutgers don’t we folks
Instant Classics and Legendary Games
9. TCU 51 — Michigan 45 (December 31, 2022 — College Football Playoff)
I don’t feel as bad about this game in hindsight as I did in the moment. Yes, Michigan was the better team and should’ve won. But let’s be real: the 2022 Wolverines were not equipped to beat Georgia. I really believe this game was crucial to JJ McCarthy’s development as a Quarterback: we knew he could throw for a lot of yards, but he needed to drastically reduce the turnovers if we were ever going to compete with the big boys in the SEC. And as many mistakes as Michigan made in this game, TCU played their hearts out and deserved to win. So hats off to them.
8. Michigan 24 — Penn State 15 (November 11, 2023)
I toyed with ranking this game even higher. Harbaugh finding out 30 minutes before the game that he was suspended? 30 straight running plays? The interim coach dropping the f-bomb multiple times on live TV? Like are you kidding me??? This game was awesome!
7. Michigan 30 — Ohio State 24 (November 25, 2023)
You might think this is too low, but honestly I never really expected OSU to win this game: Michigan was clearly the superior team this time around. Ohio State’s drive at the end would’ve been much scarier to me if CJ Stroud was still their QB and not Kyle McCord. I seriously considered ranking the Penn State game ahead of this one, but I thought I would never hear the end of it. So #7 seems about right. Also, the Zac Zinter moment was tragic but really cool at the same time.
6. Michigan 45 — Ohio State 23 (November 26, 2022)
Michigan beating Ohio State the year before was clearly just a fluke. Now The Game was back in the Horseshoe, and Ohio State would get their revenge. At least, that was the narrative going in. The reality was much different. Ohio State made it clear they wouldn’t allow Michigan to bludgeon them at the line of scrimmage like they had the year before. And in previous years, crowding the line would’ve worked against the likes of John O’Korn or Joe Milton. But JJ McCarthy was different. Harbaugh chose him as the starter over Cade McNamara for games like this, and McCarthy delivered. And despite an otherwise mostly underwhelming career, this game made “The Don” a Michigan legend.
5. Michigan 34 — Washington 13 (January 8, 2024 — National Championship)
How could this not be #1??? A few reasons. First, the real National Championship was the week before in Pasadena. This game always felt like a coronation, and Washington didn’t do much to change that. Second, this was a pretty sloppy game by both teams. Michigan was clearly better, but they handed Washington several opportunities that the Huskies just never capitalized on. I’m a big Michael Penix fan, but he played probably the worst game of his college career. Of course, he was also being harassed by Michigan’s legendary D-Line all night. The game itself might have been anti-climatic, but since it was the Natty I couldn’t justify putting it any lower than this. Although I’ll probably remember Jack Harbaugh screaming into the microphone more than anything from the actual game itself.
4. Michigan State 27 — Michigan 23 (October 17, 2015)
“Wow he has trouble with the snap…scooped up by Jalen Watts Jackson…and he SCOAOAORES (massive voice crack) on the LAST play of the game. UNBELIEVABLE!” I don’t really need to say much more, except that this list is not a list of my FAVORITE games, but the most memorable. And despite how hard we’ve all tried to forget this one, you know exactly where you were when this happened. This is my second-least favorite game of the Harbaugh era, but I believe to truly appreciate the good we must also remember the bad. So buckle up for this next one…
3. Ohio State 30, Michigan 27 (November 26, 2016)
Yea this one was the worst. JT was short. We all know JT was short. But the refs wanted to make it out of the stadium alive. Michigan was the better team, and we can (justifiably) blame the refs all we want. But at the end of the day, Michigan made too many mistakes to deserve to win this one. The pick-6? The fumbled snap at the goal line? And the play right before the infamous Spot, where we had Curtis Samuel 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage and allowed him to juke our entire defense to within inches of a first down? This was certainly the most painful game of the entire Harbaugh era, and arguably in Michigan football history. And it left a scar that could only be healed by finally giving the Buckeyes a taste of their own medicine. Little did we know this would take 5 long years…
2. Michigan 27 — Alabama 20 (January 1, 2024)
Maybe the most exciting college football game I’ve ever watched. JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum converted a 4th and 2 that I thought would certainly be the final play of their brilliant careers. But even when Roman Wilson skipped into the endzone to tie the game at 20–20, I still thought we’d find a way to blow it. That’s just what Michigan does after all! And blow it we almost did: I still have a hard time rewatching the muffed punt at the goal line that miraculously bounced inches outside the endzone. From there, it was Blake Corum time, as he put the offense on his back in OT for an unforgettable 2-play TD drive. And the defense (and Alabama’s Center) did what they had done all night to send Michigan to the National Championship. As I mentioned previously, this felt like the real Natty. In previous years Michigan would have found a way to lose. But this group was different. This team was special.
1. Michigan 42 — Ohio State 27 (November 27, 2021)
“I can’t believe that just happened” was the text I got about 47 times in the aftermath of this game. And to be honest, I couldn’t either. Going into this one, there was nothing to suggest it would be any different than 2016 or 2018. In both those seasons, Michigan was a really good team with a disappointing loss before The Game. And each of those teams had found a way to lose to their archrival. It would be crazy to think this one would be any different. Yet for some reason it was. Perhaps it was the unrelenting motor of Aiden Hutchinson or Hassan Haskins’ nose for the goal line. Or maybe it was just Ryan Day. Whatever the reason, this game might genuinely be the most important win in the entire history of the Michigan Football program. Lose this one, and Harbaugh might not have stuck around. Lose this one, and you probably don’t win a National Championship 2 years later. But although Cade McNamara, Aiden Hutchinson, Hassan Haskins, and the other leaders of this team may never have won a National Championship, they might have done something even more important. They broke a mindset and culture of losing big games that had plagued this program for decades. And that’s just as impressive as anything the 2023 team accomplished. Cue Mr. Brightside.
