We’ve heard it after every single Michigan Wolverines loss over the last couple years: “FIRE HARBAUGH”! It’s been happening for the last couple of years, at least.
47-17. That is the record that head coach Jim Harbaugh has compiled since taking the reins of the Michigan football program, a winning percentage of 73.4%. Some might say that winning three out of four games (or so) over the course of almost five complete seasons is pretty darn good. But, is the word “successful” the right one to use when describing Harbaugh’s tenure with the Wolverines?
There have been some dark times in Ann Arbor, with direct regard to the football program. Since Lloyd Carr retired after the 2007 season, Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke directed the program from 2008-2014. Rich Rod’s 15-22 record from 2008-2010 and Hoke’s 31-20 mark from 2011-2014 are considered to have been marked failures. But, the record books most definitely do show that Brady Hoke led the Wolverines to a victory over Ohio State in 2011. After all, that seems to be what is considered to be the benchmark when determining whether or not a coach at Michigan is worthwhile, right?
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Harbaugh’s record against Ohio State: 0-5. Conversely, Harbaugh’s record against Michigan State: 3-2. Looking at the past two coaches, Rich Rod’s record against MSU: 0-3. Hoke’s record against MSU: 1-3. Rich Rod’s record against Ohio State: 0-3. Hoke against OSU: 1-3.
Giving credit where credit is due, the program has won nine or more games in a season five times since Carr’s departure, four of which have been since Harbaugh took over in 2015. In fact, Harbaugh’s WORST season came in 2017 when the team won eight games. That has to count for something, right? We’ve seen what it’s like to be a laughing stock under prior regimes, and I’m certain that we can all at least agree that Michigan is nowhere close to laughing stock status at this point.
Trust me though, Michigan fans. I hear your frustrations and feel them as well. But, let’s consider that we’ve seen how bad things can get. Considering that Harbaugh is still considered to be a good recruiter, and is still keeping Michigan in the conversation for another 10 win season, the question I touched on earlier is extremely relevant: is Harbaugh’s tenure to be considered a success? Maybe “success” is a strong word at this point, since the team has not played for a conference championship, has a winless record against that school down south, a 1-3 record in bowl games, and hasn’t even sniffed a final-four playoff spot. But, they’ve certainly been in much more hopeless and generally worse spots in semi-recent memory.
