Three takeaways: Michigan wins third straight Big Ten title

Michigan gained its third consecutive Large Ten title on Saturday evening with a 26-0 win over the Large Ten West champion Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The third straight title is Michigan’s 45 Large Ten championship in program historical past, which is essentially the most by any crew within the convention.

Semaj Morgan highlighted a moderately boring evening with an 87-yard punt return, however each offenses have been moderately quiet all through the evening.

Beneath are three takeaways from Michigan’s convention title-winning recreation.

All season lengthy, Michigan has bounced between sophomore Tyler Morris and senior Jake Thaw on the punt returner place. The youthful, extra versatile Morris supplied a better ceiling, however the older, extra dependable Thaw proved to be the sure-handed possibility at returner.

However on Saturday evening, Michigan might have discovered a brand new possibility.

Within the first quarter, after Iowa’s second drive of the sport, Michigan trotted out true freshman Semaj Morgan to subject the punt, and what occurred within the ensuing moments was electrical.

Morgan fielded the ball on the eight-yard line and broke into the open subject. He galloped for what appeared like an eternity earlier than he was finally tracked down by an Iowa particular teamer on the five-yard line.

The return formally went down as 87 yards, which was good for the longest punt return in Large Ten Championship Sport historical past.

Morgan did not register one other return yard on the evening, however his 87-yarder was greater than sufficient to show his value catching kicks.

He had been the crew’s prime kickoff returner for fairly a while, however on Saturday evening, Morgan might have established himself as the highest punt returner going ahead.

With No. 1 Georgia’s loss to No. 8 Alabama within the SEC Championship Sport, the expectation is that Michigan, with its win over Iowa, would be the No. 1 crew within the nation come Sunday afternoon when the official Faculty Soccer Playoff rankings come out.

The No. 1 rating could be Michigan’s first best-in-the-country rating since, seemingly, 1997, when the Wolverines gained a share of the nationwide championship together with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Will probably be the primary time in additional than a yr that Georgia won’t be the nation’s top-ranked crew.

Simply three years after an appalling 2020 season during which Michigan went 2-4 and clearly struggled on either side of the ball, it seems Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines have made the climb to varsity soccer’s summit.

Alabama’s defeat of Georgia threw a wrench in one of many extra wild championship weekends in historical past. Had the Bulldogs gained and stretched their profitable streak to 30 video games, the reveal of the Faculty Soccer Playoff matchups on Sunday afternoon would have been moderately uninteresting.

Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Florida State would have nearly definitely been the 4 groups chosen, however Alabama had different plans.

The Crimson Tide upset Georgia, 27-24, to say the SEC crown.

As already said, Michigan, in its frosty white uniforms, defeated Iowa, and the Wolverines will probably transfer into the No. 1 spot. Washington is predicted to be the nation’s No. 2 crew, however spots 3 and 4 are fully undetermined.

There are two spots remaining for what seems to be 4 groups — Georgia, Florida State, Alabama and Texas.

The committee has one of many harder jobs in latest reminiscence as they got down to decide the ultimate 4 groups that may compete for a nationwide title.

Michigan is comfortably in together with Washington, however the Wolverines’ opponent within the first spherical of the playoffs remains to be up within the air. It may very well be any of the 4 aforementioned groups, however to foretell which crew it will likely be is a near-impossible process.

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