The fact that USC is entering the Big Ten Conference in 2024 makes this next story a lot more important than it would have been in a world in which USC stayed in the Pac-12: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is certainly thinking about going to the NFL.
It doesn’t mean Harbaugh is definitely gone. It doesn’t even mean he is likely to leave. It merely means Harbaugh is thinking about the pros, one year after a serious courtship with the Minnesota Vikings fell apart.
USC has to deal with a lot of big questions after its Cotton Bowl implosion against Tulane, and one part of the larger calculus for the Trojans has to include the possibility that Harbaugh will leave Michigan. The Wolverines will be a USC opponent very soon. They might not play USC in the 2024 Big Ten regular season schedule, but they will be a competitor for the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.
USC has to position itself to be the best team in the Big Ten. The Trojans have to think about how they stack up against the best programs in the Big Ten. Right now, the best program in the Big Ten is Michigan, winner of back-to-back Big Ten championships.
Let’s dive into this conversation with help from our friends at Wolverines Wire: