Page turned, Michigan football is ready to make another run

For several weeks — months, even — after Michigan beat Ohio State and won a Big Ten title, the Wolverines basked in the glow. Anyone and everyone asked about the Nov. 26 beating of the Buckeyes, in part because it had been so long. It was a special day, and as head coach Jim Harbaugh said, it felt like “a beginning.” 

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Starting quarterback Cade McNamara was part of an NIL event in which he watched film and talked about the Ohio State game with fans. Heck, when we did our own interviews with returning players, memories of the OSU game were one of our first requests. 

It was that special. Some would even say it was right up there with the 1969 Michigan win over the Buckeyes in importance, and time will tell if that’s true. 

But now it’s over. And while McNamara and others continue to answer questions when asked about last season — “we need to prove it wasn’t a fluke,” he said recently — there’s no question where their focus is now.

“I feel like this season, the chip is just as big as it’s ever been,” Michigan fifth-year receiver Ronnie Bell said on the recent In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen. “I feel like that’s the only way to approach it, especially now being a target, because of the success we had last year. 

“A big thing I feel like a lot of guys have accepted and understood is this isn’t last year. This is our team … this is a new team. We need to go do what we need to do. We need to make a name for ourselves.”

Something to prove for Michigan

That’s especially true for Bell, who seemed well on his way to doing that before he went down with a knee injury in last year’s opener. He’d gotten off to a great start with a 76-yard touchdown reception and 31-yard punt return before getting hurt. 

Now back and better than ever, he’s leading the charge to repeat. 

“It’s definitely just doing things the right way, being somebody that everybody can talk to,” he said. “I feel like those are two big things when it comes to being a leader. And, of course, performance. Showing the spark and the competitive edge you have in practice or in games, whatever. That way guys can join you not only because you’re easy to talk to — they respect you because of your game. Those are all the things that are very important.”

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has made it clear he has “scary good” talent on the squad, as well. He didn’t shy away from talk of a repeat at Big Ten Media Day, insisted his team “won’t flinch” when they play in Columbus. 

In short, there’s a confidence in the building that starts with the coach. 

“What can I tell you? It’s been a tremendous offseason for the Michigan Wolverine football program,” he said. “Our guys from literally days after our final game last year have been at work, attacking everything they do. There’s been zero entitlement the entire offseason and now, and none really in the foreseeable future. So … life is good.”

They have four goals, he noted — to beat Michigan State and Ohio State in the same year, repeat as Big Ten champions and win the national championship. 

There’s not a day that goes by, Bell said, that they aren’t looking forward. 

“I feel like it is a daily thing that comes up because that is the goal. That is what’s in front of us,” the Michigan veteran continued. “To accomplish all four of those goals, those are the first two [beating MSU and OSU] that have to happen. So … I feel like that’s a daily thing. 

“We want domination, and we all want the offense to be flowing, the defense to be flowing. Confidence, too, is a big thing. Just once everybody is in their role and rolling, feeling well, confidence and flow are the big things.”

Do that, and the rest will take care of itself — perhaps even another win over Ohio State, which would be the program’s first since 2000, and another Big Ten title for Michigan.

“That would just kind of shove that in everybody’s face that says it’s a one-off,” he noted. 

And there are plenty. Not one of 36 media members polled picked Michigan to win the Big Ten in the preseason predictions. 

They’re ready to prove everyone wrong for the second straight year, another step toward reclaiming the program’s position as a national power.