Bucking trends that hinder performance should be the goal for every team on a yearly basis. When evaluating a team such as Michigan, there really aren’t too many numbers that stand out for commanding negative attention. All in all, the Wolverines have been solid — and continuously improving — under the control of coach Jim Harbaugh, who enters his 8th season in Ann Arbor.

With an 12-2 record and a win over Ohio State, the Wolverines had one of their best seasons in program history this past fall — beating the Buckeyes marked a critical developmental stage for a team that had only topped their most-bitter rival 3 times since 2000. With the 42-27 victory in 2021, UM now has 4 wins vs. OSU since the turn of the century.

Specifically, when looking at the Harbaugh era, the main areas of concern surround performances during the most heated of moments — so those trends will be the focal point of this discussion.

Beating OSU is hard

Everything Michigan wants to do revolves around clearing the biggest obstacle in the Big Ten: Ohio State. If that’s not done, the chances of winning the league and advancing to the CFP all but vanish.

As mentioned above, the Wolverines have struggled to compete — let alone win — against the Buckeyes for most of the past 20 years. During the 1990s, Michigan held a firm grip on the rivalry, going 7-2-1 and winning 3 in a row from 1995-1997. Excluding a 13-13 tie in 1992, the Wolverines had won every meeting from 1988 to 1993.

Yes, there was a time when Michigan had the upper hand, but it’s been so long that the streak has been relegated to folklore.

A win in 2022 would mark Michigan’s first back-to-back victories over the Buckeyes since 1999-2000. Once 2 in a row gets done, then Michigan can think of re-establishing the level of control it had from 1985-2000, when it notched 12 wins over the Buckeyes (UM was a top-10 team in 6 of those wins).

Road Woe … eee … errs?

The road loss to Iowa in 2016 may go down as one of the worst losses of Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor. Had Michigan beaten the Hawkeyes, it probably would have gone on to the College Football Playoff (regardless of outcome vs. Ohio State). Had Michigan won that game, Harbaugh probably wouldn’t have been so heavily criticized by pundits in following years — you know, the people who said he couldn’t get it done or would quickly wear out his welcome … we’ve all heard the psycho-babble from the peanut gallery.

Harbaugh’s time in Ann Arbor has been successful, and it appears to be only getting better. However, his record vs. teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 has been anything but exemplary: Following a 37-33 loss in East Lansing, Harbaugh fell to 2-9 vs. AP-ranked teams on the road.

On Oct. 1, the Wolverines could face a ranked Hawkeyes squad in Iowa City, and on Nov. 26, they’ll certainly face a top-10 Buckeyes group in Columbus. Both of those will be must-wins for obvious reasons.

Trouble winning the Big Ten East title

In order for any team to compete at a national level, it must first establish itself within in its own conference — and in the case of Michigan, within its own division.

Often mocked for third-place finishes in the B1G East (one of the best divisions in college football), Harbaugh shut up a few critics by winning a Big Ten championship this past fall. However, last season was just the first time Harbaugh’s Wolverines were outright champs of the East; they shared a division title in 2018 with Ohio State.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Wolverines finished 5th in the division. Since Harbaugh’s arrival, a finish of anywhere between 3rd and 5th has become the norm.

Oh, those Spartans

Michigan is one of few schools that has more than one primary rival: Not only does UM loathe Ohio State, but it has an equal amount of disdain for Michigan State. Two hated conference rivals makes for great television, doesn’t it? This year, Michigan’s battle Oct. 29 with the Spartans in Ann Arbor could be one of the most-viewed contests of the season (just like last year).

MSU has won 2 in a row, and its coach, Mel Tucker, is looking to become the first Spartans head man to down Michigan in each of his first 3 attempts. Harbaugh doesn’t want that to happen; he can’t let it happen. Losing to MSU for a third consecutive time could refuel another historic run.

From 2008 to 2018, the Spartans beat the Wolverines 8 times, including 4 in a row from 2008-2012. For good measure, they won another 3 straight from 2013-2015.

Postseasons to forget

Qualifying for the CFP was an accomplishment, but getting handled 34-11 by Georgia in the Playoff was anything but a highlight for Harbaugh, whose Wolverines seem to crumble during the postseason.

Since taking over UM in 2015, Harbaugh has posted a 1-6 postseason record, including a 1-5 record in bowl games that have anything to do with fruit, such as peaches, oranges or citrus in general.