There is no such thing as a “mere formality” with Jim Harbaugh. He does things his own way, with his own pace.

It was the same when it came time to pick Michigan’s starting quarterback. It always made sense that it would be Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson, but competition in camp always matters and Patterson, indeed, had to go out there and win the job.

He did.

And now that he has, it’s time for the Shea Patterson era to begin. It’s nice to have an era.

Quarterback play at Michigan since Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback himself, has been spotty at best. Last year, UM quarterbacks John O’Korn, Brandon Peters and Wilton Speight combined to post the lowest quarterback ratings of any Power 5 school.

That’s pathetic, especially for a school with Michigan’s pedigree. They only had nine touchdown passes a year ago, and in all over Power 5, only Illinois and Rutgers were worse, and we know how bad those teams were.

Patterson, meanwhile, has been special in his 10 starts over two years at Ole Miss, and against some very good defenses. He replaced an injured Chad Kelly as a true freshman, starting the final three games in 2016, and then played seven games a year ago before being lost for the season with a PCL injury in his knee.

Because of Ole Miss’ NCAA probation, Patterson was allowed to transfer without sitting out, and he’s good to go. He’s been fully cleared to play, and the knee feels good. So expect big things early.

Patterson averaged 322.7 yards passing last year before he got hurt, which ranked fourth in the country. The only three ahead of him — Oklahoma’s State’s Mason Rudolph (377.2), Wyoming’s Josh Rosen (341.5) and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield (330.5) — were all high draft picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Michigan only averaged 171.2 yards per game last year. The quarterbacks took plenty of heat, but the offensive line was often to blame as well and defenses roughed up the QBs at almost every turn. They have to be better this year too, and they know it.

Patterson might not average 322 again, but he’s certainly not going to average 171, either. After three frustrating seasons, Harbaugh finally has a quarterback he can win with. As good and competitive as the Big Ten East is, the fearsome foursome of Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State are all primed for a great battle this fall. It’s going to be quarterback play that will determine the division winner.

Michigan has it’s guy now. They can win now.

So now they just have to go out and do it.