Michigan fans flood Ann Arbor streets after national championship win

Michigan fans were all over the place in the streets of Ann Arbor after the Wolverines’ national championship victory over Washington.

It was a tight affair at one point, but Michigan pulled away and won 34-13. That capped off a 15-0 season and Jim Harbaugh’s first national championship.

You can watch the fans celebrate in the streets with fireworks in the distance in the video below.

🎆🎇 pic.twitter.com/52cTy4ZLiC

— Zach Libby (@LibbyOn3) January 9, 2024

The year could’ve been marred by NCAA allegations as well as the sign-stealing scandal, but Michigan put it all to rest by winning the College Football Playoff.

Harbaugh served two suspensions — one for an NCAA investigation into COVID-19 dead period recruiting violations and another for the highly publicized sign-stealing scandal around Connor Stalions. Still, Michigan overcame it all to bring home the title.

In the postgame press conference Monday night, the players were asked a question about winning a title with so many off-field issues coming up this year. Harbaugh jumped in, and he maintained the players did nothing wrong en route to the title.

“It couldn’t have gone better,” Harbaugh said. “It went exactly how we wanted it to go, to win every game. Off the field issues, we’re innocent. And we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. I’d just like to point that out. These guys are innocent. Overcome that, wasn’t that hard because we knew we were innocent.

“That’s, really, what I wanted to say. It went exactly how we wanted it to go.”

Harbaugh missed six games as a result of the two suspensions. He sat out the first three games as a self-imposed ban as a result of comments he allegedly made to investigators surrounding the violations during the COVID-19 dead period. Then, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suspended him for the final three regular season games due to the sign-stealing scandal.

As far as Harbaugh’s future at Michigan, it’s up in the air whether he’ll come back or make a return to the NFL. University President Santa Ono made it clear where he stands prior to Monday night’s game.

“That’s a decision for him,” Ono said. “As you know, we’ve made it very clear that we want him to stay and I very much hope so.”

For Harbaugh, he wanted to return to Michigan and put the program at the top of the sport.

“Obviously he wants to walk away tonight with a national championship but it doesn’t change what he’s done for that program,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Monday prior to the CFP title game. “And it doesn’t change the fact that other people have said the NCAA could be coming after him next year, he could face more discipline.

“So to me, it has always been up to an NFL team, whether it is the Chargers or the Falcons or the Raiders or somebody else to come at him and make him an attractive enough offer, with a situation that’s set up the way that he wants.”