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          Scott Van Pelt's One Big Thing: Michigan and Jim Harbaugh

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          SVP's One Big Thing: Michigan's patience pays off (2:25)

          Scott Van Pelt says the blueprint Jim Harbaugh drew up at Michigan led the Wolverines to a national championship. (2:25)

          • Scott Van Pelt, Host, SportsCenter with SVPJan 9, 2024, 03:51 PM
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              Scott Van Pelt joined ESPN in Spring 2001 as the network's lead professional golf reporter. He has since become a SportsCenter anchor, primarily hosting the 11 p.m. ET edition while remaining the lead reporter and host of the network's coverage of golf's grand slam events. In April 2008 he was named co-host of ESPN Radio's Tirico & Van Pelt weekday show (2-4 p.m. ET on weekdays). A native of Brookville, Md., Van Pelt graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in radio/television and film.

          There are many things that are found in abundance in college football circles. I'd start with passion. It's not regionally specific -- no conference has cornered the market on it, as it comes with Southern and Midwestern accents and all dialects found in every corner. It's the fuel.

          Something in short supply among the fan bases that care the most? Patience. The passion can blind fans to the realities of their situation, which short-circuits the ability to allow things to bake. A lot will be discussed about Jim Harbaugh's 2023 season -- because a lot was baked into this.

          But I want to rewind the tape a few years ... Go Blue was 2-4 in the COVID season. He was six years into his tenure in Ann Arbor. He hadn't beaten Ohio State and didn't play them that year due to COVID. There were people who wondered if they even wanted to play their rivals that season. There were still many passionate Michigan fans who wondered how much longer Michigan would show patience.

          A number of things happened that offseason. Harbaugh took a significant pay cut, big changes were made in the coaching staff and he famously sent an email to his team that detailed the path moving forward.

          The blueprint proved accurate. The following season he finally beat Ohio State and Michigan made the playoff. The Wolverines beat the Buckeyes again the following year -- and made a repeat performance in the playoff. This season, a three-peat over Ohio -- as Wolverines fans refer to the Buckeyes -- and then made a third consecutive playoff. This time they won it.

          Would Michigan have been as patient had Harbaugh not been a Michigan Man? Almost certainly not. But it's instructive in this sport where the absolute need to have what you want immediately often trumps sanity and reason. The patience in Ann Arbor -- combined with a notoriously rigid coach finally agreeing to bend a bit and change things up -- led to this. History.

          How history will remember it and what comes next for Michigan's head coach is all to be determined. But life is about moments, and if you're a Wolverines fan, this is the moment you've waited on. Your patience has been rewarded, and you don't need anyone's permission to let your passion spill out.