The Wreck of the Jim Harbaugh Era

I will not apologize for how much fun I had doing this.

[clears throat]

We could write an incisive, thoughtful analysis of what’s happened to Michigan football in the Jim Harbaugh Era, on the heels of this weekend’s 35-14 plastering by the Wisconsin Badgers. We could look at failings on each side of the ball, assistant coaching changes that’ve hurt the Wolverines, question their schemes, their motivation, their execution.

We could do that.

Or we could do this.

The legend lives on from Fielding Yost on down

Of the men that they call Michiganders 

The maize and blue lads, who’ll rise up and stand

Against any old Big Ten defenders

Lloyd Carr he was it, national title he split

A branch off the tree of Schembechler

When Coach Carr retired, the school was inspired

To think there were things they could do better

They hired the pride of the Mountaineer side

A spread-gun coach named Rich Rodriguez

As risky hires go, it was riskier than most

He’d bring in new offensive ideas 

Got off on bad terms when 2008 turned

With an opening game loss to Utah

They finished oh-eight with a 3-9 mark

It’s quite fair to say it caused a brou-ha

Rodriguez was fired after three seasons round

It was clear his new system was failing

And every fan knew, as the boosters did too,

A Mich’gan Man they ought be retainin’

Hoke started off great and he seemed worth the wait

With their first win in eight ‘gainst the Buckeyes

When the Sugar Bowl came, it seemed much the same

And the fans all thought “boy, we’re in luck, guys!”

Shane Morris stayed in, the announcers came on,

Sayin’, Brady, he has no idea

Dave Brandon got fired, the fans sick and tired, M said

Brady, I guess we’ll be see’n ya

The boosters wired in our hero’s comin’ in 

A true Blue man we know can repair ya

But now four-plus years in, without a big win

Comes the Wreck of the Jim Harbaugh Era

Does anyone know where the Maize and Blue go

Once their savior’s return has gone sour?

The pundits all say it shouldn’t be this way

But they lost by three scores to Wisconsin

Is it Don Brown’s defense or Harbaugh’s nonsense

Or the loss of line coach Greg Mattison

And all that remains of his recruiting gains

Is an ineffective Shea Patterson

Rutgers they’ll roll, but Iowa comes in 

With the doom of their great Hawkeye tight ends 

Old Michigan State, your spirit will break

And Notre Dame’s back on the schedule 

And farther below looms O-H-I-O

The perennial playoff contender

Surely Jim Harbaugh knows no wins against O

Is how his era will be remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,

Or maybe it was Zingerman’s Deli

The MGo boards pine, and the twittersphere whines

What happens next, can anyone tell me?

The legend lives on from Oosterban on down

Of the Big House up there in Ann Arbor

Go Blue, they said, never give us for dead

But it’s not looking great for Jim Harbaugh

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What magnificent timing this is, that we have a new podcast available… about Michigan football misery! WELCOME TO ANN ARBOR is now live; Ace Anbender of MGoBlog joins us to wallow in the Blues.

Enjoy your week.