Following Michigan’s 19-13 win against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, we can finally put a bow on the 2024 Michigan football season. There’s no doubt it was a season of massive change, as the program lost Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil and a litany of other players and coaches last offseason. The few holdouts anchored the 2024 team as admirably as they could, but there was tough sledding to be had.

Our discussion today is wrapped around how you view the season as a whole in the rearview. Was it a success? The Wolverines did beat Ohio State (hahahaha), Michigan State and Minnesota in rivalry games. They knocked off Alabama as a double-digit underdog. They prevented a Buckeye Big Ten championship and extended the winning streak to four. They’re also likely to send a handful of first-round picks to the NFL.

Or was the season a failure? Michigan lost five games in excruciating fashion and failed to make the College Football Playoff. After starting the season ranked in the top-10, Michigan spent virtually the entire season unranked. It also had arguably the worst passing offense in the country outside of the service academies.

There’s an old adage that goes something along the lines of “would you rather go 11-1 but lose to your biggest rival, or 1-11 and beat only your biggest rival?” The 2024 Michigan Wolverines experienced just about as close to that as possible, as they lost game after game before totally redeeming themselves in Columbus. After three years of unmitigated success both against Ohio State and the rest of the country at-large, Michigan was due to come back to earth a bit, and that they did.

I struggle to call this season a failure. With the amount of change seen last offseason and the emotional high all Michigan fans were on, I’m satisfied with victories over Michigan State and Ohio State and a bowl win over Alabama. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this season an enjoyable watch, but I believe you have to call it a successful year. If the Wolverines go 7-5 next year, that’s a whole different scenario. However, a victory over Ohio State in Columbus was total redemption in my eyes. I would think entirely different if we were sitting here at 6-7 following a loss in the Pinstripe Bowl.

What do you think? How would you characterize the season we just watched? Are you headed into the offseason with a sour taste in your mouth, or are you relieved and looking forward to better things to come?

Eulogize the 2024 season with us in the comments below.