This one will sting for a while, for Michigan’s seniors in particular. Their coach, Jim Harbaugh, is building a program in Ann Arbor, and he will get his shot at the College Football Playoff soon enough.
Yet for seniors like Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley and Jourdan Lewis – NFL-level talents all – this season was it. It was their chance to compete for a national title only two years after finishing 5-7.
Instead, they’ll settle for the Orange Bowl, a place they would’ve jumped at when they signed on at U-M under Brady Hoke four years ago.