The Dream Came True

I'll never buy in when people say, "It's just a game." It's not—such moments in sports are checkpoints in our lives. You think back through the journey, not just this season but all the seasons that came before it. I remember the first Michigan football game my dad ever took me to. It was the season opener in 2003. Twenty years later, it happened. The Michigan Wolverines are national champions. It was a season unlike any other. With a Jim Harbaugh coached team, that's par for the course. But it happened. Three years removed from one of the worst seasons in program history, Michigan football has taken us on a magic carpet ride over the last three years, culminating in last night's coronation against Washington. It wasn't always pretty but nothing worth fighting for ever is.

It's a funny thing. You spend so much time wondering how you will react to this moment, and then when the moment comes, you're just stunned. This moment is about something much bigger than just one person or team. If there's one word to describe the Michigan football fan base, it's passionate. And while they probably will be too stubborn to admit it, Michigan football fans were humbled over the last 20 years. All the losses to Ohio State. The Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke years. So many close calls in the Harbaugh era. There were many days when it felt like Michigan was destined to be a program whose best days were behind them. It's easy to run from those bad memories in a moment like this. Don't. Remember them. That shiver that ran down your spine when Appalachian State blocked that field goal in 2007 gave way to the jubilation that came with these final moments in 2024. It was worth it.

I don't know what the legacy of this team will be. 15-0 is 15-0. I don't know if this will go down as an all-time great team, but it will surely go down as an all-time great defense. It was only fitting that team captain and five-year stud Mikey Sainristil put the game on ice with his interception of Michael Penix late in the fourth quarter. It was just perfect. Perfect. Perfect. That's the word that comes to mind. They were an oddity. True, true perfection is a rare oddity in sports, but this team achieved it.

The only sadness I felt last night was knowing that we’d never watch this team go to work again. We’ll never get this group on a football field at the same time. You only have a finite amount of time as a college football player, and every guy in that locker room has made the most of it. Some of these men could’ve gone pro after last season ended. They chose to stay. As this program will tell you, there’s something to be said about those who stay. 

Sports can provide us with a level of catharsis that nothing else can provide us with. Either you get it, or you don't. I looked forward to Saturdays this year more than any other year in the past. I love this team. I like the players on this team. This year, everyone who wore the winged helmet contributed to something no fan will ever forget. They should be unbelievably proud; I know I'm proud of them. I always will be. I just hope that every Michigan fan was present for these moments. I hope you enjoyed every step of this. I hope your eager eyes were opened when destiny called. This time, it was Michigan's turn. 

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The older you get, the more cynical you become. Some people never lose that childlike wonder, but most people do. One of the things that always brought the kid out of me was Michigan football. Even in the worst moments, there was an environment. There was an atmosphere. There was that eight-year-old kid going to his first game with his dad. And I'm just one schmuck. Every fan has their own story. Every fan remembers when they first sang "The Victors." There were a lot of ups, and there were a lot of downs. But we'd do it all again. We'd play it back the same way just to experience this. 

This magic team.

This perfect team. 

This championship team. 

Go Blue Forever.