Michigan accomplished quite a bit on the field in the 2018G  campaign.

For the third time in four seasons, the Wolverines posted 10 wins. They secured victories over ranked opponents like Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State. Jim Harbaugh had his team in the thick of the B1G East race until the final Saturday of the season.

It’s hard to knock a program that finished the year ranked No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings and ended with a 10-2 record. Still, people look at the bookends of the season and label it unsuccessful.

The Wolverines opened the year with a 24-17 loss to Notre Dame. It concluded the season with a 62-39 loss to Ohio State. In the two biggest games of the year, Michigan didn’t quite have enough.

Should those two losses be enough to label Michigan’s season as a failure, though? Not according to ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

During an appearance on the Tierney and Tiki Show, Herbstreit was asked if the Wolverines’ 2018 year was a failure after falling short against the Buckeyes. But the college football analyst backed the guys in Ann Arbor.

“I don’t look at it as a failure,” Herbstreit said. “You might say [Harbaugh] didn’t beat Ohio State, so it’s a failure. I look at it like they are still a team that, I think, is close to getting where they want to be. They have to continue to adjust their scheme, defensively. it’s old-school Mickey Andrews. They play man-to-man every snap. You don’t ever see that in college football. It works in about 10 or 11 games they play, and they run into Dwayne Haskins and an offensive line that can protect with a lot of crossing routes and speed. Ohio Sate looked like an NFL team just throwing it around.”

Herbstreit also mentioned that, if Michigan defeats Florida in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 29, it’ll be the team’s 11th win of the season.

“If they beat Florida, that’s 11-2 and a New Year’s Six bowl win,” Herbstreit said.

Michigan hasn’t won 11 games in a single season since 2011.

Losing to Ohio State is never acceptable for Michigan. It never has been and it never will be. That’s part of the pressure — and beauty — of college football.

Big picture, though, it’s hard to label a double-digit win season as a failure. Especially with as many big-time victories the Wolverines posted throughout the season.