MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The dream season ended in a nightmare. Besides one afternoon in East Lansing, everything went right for Michigan this year. In the best way, the season snowballed to a triumphant regular-season conclusion against Ohio State and a Big Ten championship.
Coach Jim Harbaugh called it one of the best years in school history—still great despite the end result. But like many College Football Playoff semifinals, Friday’s loss to Georgia showed the real gulf between the sport’s elite programs and the teams that are merely having what may end up a special one-off year if success is not sustained.