2023 Michigan Wolverines football team

2023 Michigan Wolverines football
Consensus national champion
Big Ten champion
Big Ten East Division champion
Rose Bowl champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionEast Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record15–0 (9–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSherrone Moore (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro spread
Defensive coordinatorJesse Minter (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinatorSteve Clinkscale (2nd season)
Base defense4–2–5
MVPJ. J. McCarthy
Captains
Home stadiumMichigan Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 1 Michigan xy$#^   9 0     15 0  
No. 10 Ohio State   8 1     11 2  
No. 13 Penn State   7 2     10 3  
Maryland   4 5     8 5  
Rutgers   3 6     7 6  
Michigan State   2 7     4 8  
Indiana   1 8     3 9  
West Division
No. 24 Iowa xy   7 2     10 4  
Northwestern   5 4     8 5  
Wisconsin   5 4     7 6  
Illinois   3 6     5 7  
Minnesota   3 6     6 7  
Nebraska   3 6     5 7  
Purdue   3 6     4 8  
Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their ninth and final year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines compiled an undefeated 15–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 538 to 156, and won their third consecutive Big Ten championship with a 26–0 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. They defeated No. 4 Alabama, 27–20 in overtime, in the 2024 Rose Bowl. They then defeated No. 2 Washington, 34–13, in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim their first CFP title and 12th national championship in program history, their first since 1997, and their first consensus national championship since 1948. With their win against Maryland on November 18, the Wolverines became the first program in college football history to reach 1,000 wins.[1]

Michigan became the first FBS team since Minnesota in 1903 to hold 15 different opponents under 25 points in a season. Michigan became the first national champion to have a lead at halftime in every game it played since Miami in 2001. Michigan became the first team in Big Ten football history to finish a 15–0 season. Michigan became the fourth college football team of the modern era to complete a 15–0 season (and the first with a schedule comprised entirely of FBS opponents), after Georgia in 2022, LSU in 2019, and Clemson in 2018. They were also ranked No. 1 in the AP and Coaches Polls for the first time since the 1997 season.

Michigan's statistical leaders included quarterback J. J. McCarthy with 2,991 passing yards and a 72.3% completion percentage and running back Blake Corum with 1,245 rushing yards and an FBS-leading 27 rushing touchdowns. Both McCarthy and Corum received first-team honors on the 2023 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Other Michigan players receiving first-team honors were center Drake Nugent, guard Zak Zinter, offensive tackle LaDarius Henderson, tight end Colston Loveland, defensive lineman Mason Graham, and defensive backs Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil. Michigan’s defense held opponents to 10.4 points per game, the fewest by a Big Ten team since Michigan’s 1997 squad (9.5 PPG) and fewest overall since Alabama in 2011 (8.8 PPG).[2][3]

Harbaugh was suspended by the university from game-day coaching for the first three games of the season due to alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also suspended by the Big Ten for the final three games of the regular season as punishment of the program for the unresolved allegations of the Michigan Wolverines football sign-stealing scandal. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore led the team to four victories, including wins over No. 10 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State, as acting head coach during Harbaugh's absence.

  1. ^ Meek, Austin (November 18, 2023). "Michigan becomes first college football program with 1,000 wins: How Wolverines survived Maryland". The Athletic. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "2023 Michigan Football Overall Team Stats". Big Ten Conference. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Gharib, Anthony (January 9, 2024). "Stats behind Michigan's undefeated season to the championship". ESPN. Retrieved February 8, 2024.

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