Wondering what Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s fate is after losing 24-17 to Michigan on Saturday? You probably aren’t alone. For one thing, there aren’t any real questions regarding his job security in Ann Arbor just yet — at least not according to UM president Mark Schissel:
Michigan’s president says Jim Harbaugh’s not on the hot seat, in case you were wondering
The suspense has been lifted.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Harbaugh, who’s currently in his fourth season at Michigan, signed a seven-year deal when he was hired in 2014. His record at Michigan so far is 28-12, and he has yet to win the Big Ten East as Michigan’s head coach. No, the overall record isn’t terrible, but hi record in big games, including last week’s vs. Notre Dame, is also underwhelming:
-2017: No. 2 Penn State 42, No. 19 Michigan 13 (+7.5)
-2017: No. 5 Wisconsin 24, No. 19 Michigan 10 (+6.5)
However, as Bill Connelly pointed out in Michigan’s 2018 preview, Harbaugh being Harbaugh carries a certain weight:
He’s also a narrative magnet. He’s 0-3 against Ohio State and 1-2 against Michigan State, and as any college football fan knows, he has yet to finish higher than third in the Big Ten East.
Mind you, he’s only been there three years. Doesn’t matter. The combination of his immediate success, his achievement elsewhere — building Stanford from scratch, taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl — and the power of his personality skewed expectations.
Sure, most Michigan fans would agree that the Harbaugh era isn’t quite where they’d envisioned right now when he was hired four years ago, but let’s not get carried away after just three full seasons — two of which were 10-win years.
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