It was an ugly scene at the Horseshoe in Columbus on Saturday – at least, if you were a Michigan Wolverines fan.
The Ohio State Buckeyes ransacked the Wolverines by a 62-39 final score, officially knocking Michigan from playoff contention. This means the fourth year in a row that they’ve failed to qualify for the CFP under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who also dropped to 0-4 against Ohio State.
http://gty.im/1064889216
With the loss, Michigan ended their year with a 10-2 record and a pair of Top 10 teams as the only losses on the season. Meanwhile, Ohio State moves on to face Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game.
Never known to back down from his opinion, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum absolutely ripped Harbaugh following the loss, which he described as “cataclysmic” because of its implications within the rivalry and Big Ten Championship
http://gty.im/631713010
“We’re four years in now,” Finebaum said after the game. “And if you couldn’t beat this Ohio State team with Urban Meyer, … you’re not going to beat them. If you’re a Michigan fan, just accept the fact that we’re going to lose to Ohio State every year as long as Urban Meyer is there. As bad as Urban Meyer has been this year, this has been the worst season we’ve seen in Urban Meyer since his last season at Florida in 2010, all of the pressure. And he can still put a game plan together to make Jim Harbaugh look like an idiot yesterday, then he might as well throw in the towel.”
Where does Michigan go from here, Finebaum wondered?
“The decision to be made for the University of Michigan is where you want to be,” Finebaum said. “Do we want to have a big-time coach that makes $7 million a year for and lose every year to our biggest rival? That’s the choice. They have a good program. They could go 10-2, 11-2 and most programs would be happy. But Michigan is not happy losing to Ohio State. I think some there, probably Jim Harbaugh more than anyone else, better look in the mirror and quit taking responsibility and decide, am I the right person to lead this program? Because if you can’t beat your rival, you have no future at a school like Michigan.”
