Was Saturday Michigan's biggest win of the 21st century?

This was the most important win in the history of Michigan football if you ask me, with 1969 perhaps on par.  Yes, national championships are nice, but when those happened, Michigan was already an elite, top 5 national program.  The NC's didn't really change much perception about Michigan's status at that time.

Last year was monumental, but much like 2011, could have been but a blip had OSU blown us out this year, starting another string of OSU wins.  If you go with the argument that last year was more important because it saved Harbaugh's job, then why not say the Rutgers overtime win that kept us from 1-4 in 2020 was even more important?

Given the context, and where Michigan football has been for the last 20 years, mostly in a world of mediocrity, as OSU's whipping boy, this win Saturday AT the Shoe, against an undefeated, elite, #2 OSU that has whipped everybody and was focused and thirsty for revenge, vaulted Michigan back into the elite circle of college football in a way that removes any doubt about "flukes" that may have lingered from last year.

Because mediocrity over the last 20 years, and because of potential "fluke" narrative after last year, I thus consider this the most important win in Michigan football history, for vaulting Michigan in prominence and national perception more than any other game I can ever recall.  

Further, it was the way Michigan won - in one of the most "unMichiganlike" ways ever.  For decades Michigan was a predictable, conservative "run/run/pass" team that would win 8 games a year, but lose to equal/better talent that was more creative.  But Saturday?  Going for those 4th downs in our territory? QB run game?  RPOs? Countless first down passes?  Trick plays?  EPIC.  New, modern and just absolutely epic.  Saturday buried any "same old Michigan" narrative, hopefully forever.

In the modern world of elite college football, Michigan has now arrived.  This is what we hoped to get when we brought in the "father of the spread" RR after what App State and Oregon did to LLoyd's dinosaur, but that was a horrible illusion.  This is finally it.  The real deal.  As Klatt astutely observed - after 20 years of OSU being elite and UM being mediocre, UM has now JOINED OSU as elite, and that is what has changed. 

We are BACK baby.  Harbaugh's philosophical approach to the game now has major staying power, and can be the recipe for success for a decade+ if we can keep him and his outstanding staff around.

He has done this by deriving the absolute best out of talent that is across the board still a step below the OSUs and Alabama's, and to think that if this success can help vault Michigan another 2-4 places annually on the recruiting rankings, with even better talent, LOOK... OUT.

- Final note - My theory on Harbaugh's early struggles here was that he was the victim of the success he experienced at Stanford thanks in large part to having a generational QB like Andrew Luck.  This led him to believe he could simply bring in the same plan to Michigan, and with better talent across the board (other than QB) he would succeed.  As it turns out, from his pain, and the obvious lack of any Andrew Lucks walking through the door those years, Jim gained.  He learned from his lumps the first few years that he needed some major adjustments, and he made those adjustments commencing after 2020 and the last two years have born the fruit of his wisdom. 

Very thankful that Jim introspected as he did, and adjusted, hiring the right coordinators with the right plans, and giving them the leash to, well, unleash.  Many great men do not have that capacity.  Also obviously thankful Warde kept Jim, and hopefully keeps him and his staff for the foreseeable future.

GO BLUE.