First National Championship in 26 Years

The 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team completed a perfect 15-0 season, capturing the program’s first College Football Playoff national championship and its first consensus national title since 1948 (12th overall in program history). The Wolverines went 9-0 in Big Ten play, won their third consecutive conference championship, and finished ranked No. 1 in both the final AP and Coaches polls. They outscored opponents 538-156 (35.9 points per game scored, 10.4 allowed—the fewest by a Big Ten team since Michigan’s 1997 national champions).

Jim Harbaugh coached the majority of the season but served suspensions for the first three games (due to recruiting violations during the COVID-19 period) and additional absences later; Sherrone Moore and other assistants handled game-day duties in those contests, including the Ohio State game. The team became the first in Big Ten history to finish 15-0 and the fourth FBS program in the modern era to do so.

Regular Season: Dominance and Key Victories

Michigan opened with five consecutive wins, including home victories over East Carolina (30-3), UNLV (35-7), Bowling Green (31-6), and Rutgers (31-7), plus a 45-7 road win at Nebraska. The Wolverines continued their surge with decisive conference victories: 52-10 at Minnesota, 52-7 over Indiana, a 49-0 shutout at Michigan State, and 41-13 against Purdue.

The most significant regular-season tests came late. At Penn State on November 11, Michigan won a hard-fought 24-15 contest. A week later at Maryland, the Wolverines improved to 11-0 with a 31-24 victory, becoming the first program in college football history to reach 1,000 all-time wins. On November 25 at home, Michigan defeated No. 2 Ohio State 30-24, securing a third straight victory in the rivalry and clinching the Big Ten East.

Postseason: Conference Title and National Championship Run

In the Big Ten Championship Game on December 2 in Indianapolis, Michigan shut out Iowa 26-0. The Wolverines controlled the contest wire-to-wire, holding the Hawkeyes to 155 total yards.

As the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Michigan faced No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2024. After trailing in the second half for the first time all season, the Wolverines forced overtime and won 27-20 on a Blake Corum touchdown run, with the defense stopping Alabama at the goal line. Michigan recorded seven sacks in the game.

In the CFP National Championship on January 8 in Houston, Michigan defeated No. 2 Washington 34-13. The Wolverines rushed for over 300 yards—the first team to do so in a CFP title game—and recorded three runs of 40-plus yards in one half. The defense limited Washington to 13 points after a competitive first half.

Statistical and Contextual Notes

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy completed 240 of 332 passes (72.3 percent, a single-season school record) for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Running back Blake Corum rushed for 1,245 yards and a school-record 27 rushing touchdowns (28 total scores), becoming the only FBS player to score in every game that season. The defense ranked among the nation’s best in points and yards allowed, forcing turnovers and generating consistent pressure.

Michigan led at halftime in every game, a rarity for a national champion. The season featured balanced offensive production, elite defensive performance, and resilience through coaching absences and high-stakes environments. It marked the culmination of Harbaugh’s tenure and established the 2023 Wolverines as one of the most complete teams in modern program history, blending physical dominance with championship execution across a full slate of elite competition.