Jim Harbaugh is under attack by some Michigan fans. Others, well, they're full of reasons why this was to be expected. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

Let the excuses rain down

By Scott DeCamp | sdecamp1@mlive.com

We’re well past the midway point of the college football season. The home stretch is fast-approaching.

Let’s assess Michigan’s season at this juncture.

The Wolverines were ranked No. 9 in the preseason Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the preseason AP Top 25. Now, however, they’re unranked. They have a 5-2 record, with losses in their two biggest games to this point.

Some teams would jump at a 5-2 record through seven games. But Michigan is not just “some program.” Expectations are much higher in Ann Arbor – right or wrong.

Some Michigan fans are standing by those expectations and are calling out their Wolverines for falling short so far. Others, meanwhile, are offering up reasons – ahem, making excuses – for their team’s shortcomings.

Let’s take a closer look at the top 10 excuses – er, reasons – Wolverines fans are making this season.

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Jim Harbaugh visits a satellite camp near Cleveland over the summer. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive file photo)

'Harbaugh needs more time'

“This is only year three of Jim Harbaugh.”

“He needs a full recruiting cycle. He’s still coaching Brady Hoke’s recruits.”

These days, this is what we’re hearing from Michigan fans, and even some media types. It’s quite a departure from what we heard from many of those same people before the season started as well as following the Wolverines’ win over Florida.

A couple months ago, the talk was that the Wolverines were young, but that those four- and five-star studs were going to be coached up by Harbaugh. He was going to sprinkle some of his magic pixie dust on those winged helmets.

It seems many people are now dismissing this season and looking directly ahead to the next couple of years.

When a coach is making $7 million a year, such as Harbaugh is, the price tag comes with lofty expectations. That's just the way it is.

For the sake of comparison with the big boys of college football, let's take a look and see what Urban Meyer and Nick Saban accomplished during their respective third seasons at Ohio State and Alabama:

Urban Meyer: Led the Buckeyes to a 14-1 season, capped by a national championship in the College Football Playoff.

Nick Saban: Guided the way as the Crimson Tide rolled to the national title during their 14-0 season.

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Michigan fans are counting on five-star recruit Rashan Gary (3), now a sophomore, to lead the Wolverines to glory. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

'I never thought this was going to be our year; 2018 or 2019, now that's our year!'

Continuing the topic above: While it’s true that the Wolverines’ national-title dreams have vanished and their Big Ten-championship visions are all but dashed, you never know what might happen should they win out.

The chances of winning out are pretty slim but, hey, you never know.

Anyway, many fans want to just blow up this season and start anew in 2018. (And if it doesn’t work out in 2018, then 2019.)

The fans that believed Michigan was a legit national-title contender this season – those who bought the hype, based on preseason rankings and because, well, Harbaugh! – have hedged those bets.

They’re hanging on to hope, though, that in ’18 this young team will be another year older and that the Wolverines will add another stellar recruiting class to the talent pool.

Here are a few problems with that theory: Ohio State is not going anywhere, Michigan State is young just like Michigan, and the Wolverines play those two (in addition to a surging Notre Dame) on the road next season.

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Michigan fans couldn't get rid of coach Brady Hoke soon enough. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive file photo)

'Harbaugh is still cleaning up Hoke's mess'

When Harbaugh took over for the fired Brady Hoke, he started in impressive fashion, leading the Wolverines to back-to-back 10-3 seasons.

Michigan had its swagger back, so it seemed. Harbaugh was cleaning up the mess left by Hoke, so it was said.

Well, Harbaugh’s Wolverines have hit a couple potholes this season on the road back to glory with an unexpected home loss to Michigan State and a rout on the road against Penn State.

Nothing can take away Harbaugh’s pair of 10-win seasons in his first two years at the helm, but remember, Hoke was 11-2 in his first year at Michigan with Rich Rodriguez’s recruits.

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Michigan fans fantasize about Jabrill Peppers still playing for Michigan, rather than him leaving for the NFL after last season. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive file photo)

'Michigan lost too many guys to the NFL after last year'

Michigan set a program record with 11 players selected in the 2017 NFL draft. That was the most by any school in that particular draft, one more than powerhouse Alabama.

To say that “Michigan lost too many guys to the NFL” from the 2016 team, to even be considered a legitimate national-title contender this season, is no stretch whatsoever. There is a lot of truth in that statement.

The problem is, many fans (and some media) were convinced that the Wolverines were serious contenders, despite the fact that they had lost so much talent and experience from the year before.

They bought the hype.

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Freshman Ambry Thomas (1) is one of the youngsters Michigan is leaning on this season. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com)

'This is the youngest team in college football'

This is tied to the previous reason/excuse about losing too many players to the NFL.

There's nothing inaccurate about this statement in and of itself. Michigan is the youngest team among 130 of them in the Football Bowl Subdivision, per Phil Steele's June 21 report.

But, as has been stated above, that didn’t stop people from anointing Michigan as a national-title contender and one of the Big Ten favorites alongside Penn State and Ohio State. Believers put that much trust in the Wolverines’ recruiting rankings and the staff’s ability to “coach ‘em up.”

Michigan State is nearly as young as Michigan, ranking 127th on Steele's list of inexperienced teams, and the Spartans were coming off a 3-9 campaign. So when you look at that 14-10 score from Oct. 7 at the Big House, don't even try to use the excuse that "Michigan is a young team."

Furthermore, Ohio State had one of the youngest teams in all of college football last season, and the Buckeyes still found their way into the College Football Playoff. They got trashed by Clemson, but that's beside the point.

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Jim Harbaugh grimaces through the rain during Michigan's 14-10 home loss to Michigan State Oct. 7. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

'Harbaugh and his team didn't ask for these expectations'

“Yes and no” would be the response to this statement. Most coaches set high expectations for their teams, so Harbaugh is not alone.

Fair or unfair, Michigan always gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to preseason rankings and such. The Wolverines pull in highly-rated recruiting classes every year, plus there’s the “Harbaugh Factor,” and that only fuels the hype machine.

Not saying that U-M has not earned some of that hype given its track record historically, but the degree of it is a bit out of whack.

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Michigan quarterback John O'Korn, who took over for injured QB Wilton Speight in the fourth game, is sacked by Michigan State's Chris Frey. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

'Our starting quarterback got hurt'

This is not exclusive to Michigan: The backup quarterback is always the most popular player for any fan base. The backup QB can do no wrong.

Remember, though: The backup QB is a backup for a reason – he could not beat out the starter.

Michigan starting quarterback Wilton Speight was injured in the fourth game, but he was the target for much criticism by the Wolverines’ fan base up to that point. Speight was a bit underwhelming in his performance, and fans were calling for his head.

During that Sept. 23 game at Purdue, when Speight was injured, backup QB John O’Korn came in and effectively led the Michigan offense.

“O’Korn just might be our guy,” fans believed at the time.

One month and two losses later, those same fans now are howling for Harbaugh to start O'Korn's backup, Brandon Peters.

“It can’t get any worse” (with Peters at the helm) is the argument.

Maybe, but maybe not.

By the way: Who’s the backup for Peters, again?

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Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes shushes the crowd at Michigan Stadium during the Spartans' 14-10 victory Oct. 7. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

'We lost to MSU because of the monsoon'

Among the bevy of excuses following then-No. 7 Michigan’s 14-10 home loss to then-unranked Michigan State Oct. 7, this might’ve been the most popular.

Here’s the catch, though: The Spartans built a 14-3 lead in dry conditions.

Those on the MSU side of the rivalry (Is it OK to call it a “rivalry,” Michigan fans?) swear that the Spartans pretty much shut it down once the rains came. They weren’t even looking to score. Their primary goal was to avoid handing the game to Michigan with big mistakes.

On the topic of reasons/excuses for Michigan losing to Michigan State, another popular one is “This game means a lot more to MSU” or “MSU plays with more intensity than Michigan in this game.” Actually, there is a lot of truth to these statements. But whose fault is that?

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Penn State's Saquon Barkley (26) gallops into the end zone in front of Michigan's Josh Metellus during the Nittany Lions' 42-13 runaway victory Oct. 21 in Happy Valley. (Chris Knight | Associated Press)

'Nobody has come close to Penn State this year, anyway'

Let’s face it, nobody expected Michigan to beat Penn State in Happy Valley. In fact, “Whited Out” Beaver Stadium was such a buzz saw for the Wolverines’ visit that it’s tough to imagine any team outside of maybe Alabama coming out of there with a “W.”

The problem with saying “nobody has come close to Penn State this year” is that Iowa had the Nittany Lions on the ropes. In fact, it took a Trace McSorley touchdown pass on the final play of the game, lofted just over the fingertips of a Hawkeyes defender, for PSU to pull out the 21-19 win.

Granted, the game was played in Iowa City under the lights, and you know how treacherous that can be. (Michigan fans know this all too well; remember 2016?)

But Michigan should be better than Iowa, right? The Wolverines’ 42-13 loss to Penn State does not really paint that picture.

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John Beilein says to Michigan fans, "Hey, remember me?" (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

'We're a basketball school'

When all else fails on the football field, you can always bank on basketball, right?

Heck, Michigan State has done it for years.

Much props to John Beilein and the Wolverines basketball program for emerging as a contender in the Big Ten race and a threat to make noise in the NCAA Tournament. Beilein & Co. quietly go about their business with WAY less fanfare than the football team.

“We’re a basketball school.” The excuse-making has not come to this, has it, Michigan football fans?

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(MLive.com video)

More Wolverines coverage

Now that the excuse-making is over – it is over, right? – let’s focus on the task at hand. It’s homecoming weekend in Ann Arbor, and Michigan has a Big Ten East Division fourth-place battle against Rutgers on hand.

Get prepped here:

Michigan defense refocuses after whipping at Penn State

Weather for homecoming game in Ann Arbor should be very fallish

Michigan football is truly a brotherhood when it comes to family ties

Tickets for the Rutgers game cheaper than a parking pass

Michigan’s Tim Drevno ‘fully on board’ with getting offense in gear

Complete coverage