An eight-game season in the midst of a pandemic is the definition of abnormal.
It skews the bigger picture about where Michigan's football program stands entering Jim Harbaugh's sixth season of a seven-year contract.
Usually, this would be the season it's determined whether Harbaugh stays long term.
Perhaps it would have been completed by now. Harbaugh has said extension discussions were halted because of the pandemic.
Yet, a genuine gauge in 2020 could be difficult.
Michigan had 10 players selected in the NFL Draft. The Wolverines' top returning playmaker, receiver Nico Collins, has opted out. Harbaugh must break in a new quarterback, and Dylan McCaffrey is transferring.
A lot is being put on Joe Milton. He has extraordinary arm strength and is athletic, but has thrown just 11 passes.
Harbaugh is 47-18 overall and 32-12 in the Big Ten. He has recruited reasonably well. He has brought more stability to Michigan's program than his predecessors Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez.
What Harbaugh hasn't done is remotely live up to the glaring hype surrounding his hire. Michigan still hasn't won a Big Ten title since 2004. Harbaugh has yet to beat Ohio State, at times being embarrassed. Michigan is 2-11 against Top 10 teams under his watch, just 10-14 vs. Top 25.
Quarterback has been a major issue. It's puzzling with Harbaugh's track record of developing QB's such as Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck at previous stops.
There are distinctly different ways to see this season. One is if Harbaugh is such a great coach, he will have his team ready. The other is 2020 is such an outlier, if Michigan fades it's not really a sign about the lack of overall strength in the program, but an aberration.
The question in these circumstances isn't necessarily about what is good enough. Clearly, Michigan football has underachieved compared to expectations under Harbaugh.
It's a tiresome lament for Michigan's faithful. They were so hopeful. They have been relatively patient, which hasn't been easy given the reveling by rivals because of the Wolverines' shortcomings.
To contemplate the possibility of Harbaugh's departure, viable alternatives need to be considered. It's complex at Michigan. It was discovered the hard way after Lloyd Carr.
Outside-the-box couldn't have fallen flatter than Rich Rod. It wasn't like the familiar, Brady Hoke, worked, either.
Harbaugh was to be the best of everything -- and the Wolverines have fallen short after five seasons.
Year 6 presents a decidedly different scenario in a number of ways. Fair or unfair, though, it's still likely to be the most important of Harbaugh's tenure.
That's because being merely good hasn't been nearly enough.
