Jim Harbaugh has been the center of attention in college football since he left the NFL to take over Michigan last December. On Thursday night, he coached the Wolverines for the first time. The game didn’t live up to the considerable hype that preceded it, but Michigan pushed Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium before ultimately falling 24–17. Here are three thoughts on the game:
1. What cupcake?
The magazine Popular Mechanics recently described Michigan’s season opener as a “cupcake game.” Anyone who watched Utah play last season knew that wasn’t the case, but the Utes used the description as bulletin board material and made it look particularly foolish on Thursday night.