| 2023 Michigan Wolverines football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Consensus national champion Big Ten champion Big Ten East Division champion Rose Bowl champion | |
Big Ten Championship Game, W 26–0 vs. Iowa | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| East Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 15–0 (9–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Sherrone Moore (3rd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Jesse Minter (2nd season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Steve Clinkscale (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| MVP | J. J. McCarthy |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Michigan Stadium |
Uniform | |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 6 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 3 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 3 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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. The Michigan Wolverines football team drew an average home attendance of 109,971 in 2023, the highest in college football.[1]
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. The Wolverines then defeated No. 2 Washington, 34–13, in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim the first College Football Playoff (CFP) title and 12th national championship in program history, the first since 1997, and the first consensus national championship since 1948. With a win against Maryland on November 18, Michigan became the first program in college football history to reach 1,000 wins.[2]
Michigan was the first national champion to have a lead at halftime in every game it played since the 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team. The Wolverines are the first team in Big Ten football history to complete a 15–0 season and the fourth NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team to do so following Clemson in 2018, LSU in 2019, and Georgia in 2022. Michigan 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 (PPG), the fewest by a Big Ten team since Michigan's 1997 squad (9.5 PPG) and fewest overall since in Alabama in 2011 (8.8 PPG).[3][4]
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 sign-stealing. 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.
- ^ "2023 FBS Attendance Trends". D1.ticker. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2023 Michigan Football Overall Team Stats". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Gharib, Anthony (January 9, 2024). "Stats behind Michigan's undefeated season to the championship". ESPN. Retrieved February 8, 2024.