It’s amazing the difference just a few years make.
At this time two years ago, Jim Harbaugh was on the hot seat, a dead man walking, and all eyes were on who would be his replacement in Ann Arbor.
Ohio State‘s Ryan Day was at the pinnacle of the sport, while others rose and fell depending on their situation. At that moment, in 2021, Indiana’s Tom Allen was considered a rising star, while the jury was out on MSU‘s Mel Tucker. Penn State head coach James Franklin had lost some luster, but was still seen as a man who could get the Nittany Lions to the next level, despite any tangible evidence of such, save for a fluky 2016 season. Wisconsin was thought to be in good hands in the now-departed Paul Chryst.
Two years later, Harbaugh leads the conference with two straight Big Ten championships, having made a sudden discovery of Ohio State’s kryptonite. He is thought to be en route to something greater.
PFF has adjusted accordingly. In its top 25 head coaches in college football in 2023, Harbaugh comes in ranked No. 3, behind Alabama‘s Nick Saban and Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and ahead of Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney. That means, yes, Harbaugh is atop the Big Ten, for the moment.
Harbaugh has led Michigan to back-to-back Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff appearances. Perhaps more importantly to Wolverines fans, they’ve also beaten arch-rival Ohio State twice in a row. Before that, the last time Michigan won the Big Ten was in 2004 and the last time the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes was in 2011.
The next step for Harbaugh is to bring home a national championship to his alma mater. With one of the best rosters in the country next year, there’s a good chance he’ll do so.
Day is ranked No. 8, Wisconsin’s new hire Luke Fickell is No. 9. Franklin is No. 10, and Nebraska‘s new hire Matt Rhule is No. 25, rounding out the Big Ten’s contributions to the list.
But if Harbaugh can find a way to utilize the expectedly great roster to propel the Wolverines to a championship, he has nowhere to go but up, which should pay dividends not only in the rivalry with Ohio State, but in recruiting, as well.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]