What a difference a few years make.
At this time two years ago, Jim Harbaugh had his back against the wall. Many Michigan football fans wanted him gone, and he appeared to be a dead man walking. Coming off of a 2-4 season, it wasn’t looking good, and fans and media, alike, scoffed at Big Ten media days when Harbaugh spoke about beating Ohio State or dying trying.
But then, Harbaugh did the former: he beat Ohio State — not just once, but twice. He won the Big Ten two-straight years before fizzling out in the College Football Playoff semifinals both seasons. As a result, it’s Harbaugh — not Ohio State’s Ryan Day — who is CBS Sports’ No. 1 coach in the conference.
Jim Harbaugh (4 overall): Harbaugh’s ascension to No. 1 doesn’t come as much of a surprise given Michigan’s consecutive Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances. Harbaugh’s revitalized the program, and if you remove the 2020 COVID season (given some of the results we saw around the country, maybe we should), the Wolverines are 44-10 over the last four full seasons. The next step is winning a playoff game. Last year: 2 in Big Ten
Day is listed at No. 2 while MSU head coach Mel Tucker fell from No. 8 to No. 10 in the Big Ten (he’s listed at No. 47 overall, per writer Tom Fornelli).
Certainly, Michigan football fans are hoping that those numbers hold true entering 2023 — a year where the Wolverines are settling for nothing less than a national championship, at least as they tell it this offseason.
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