Will Jim Harbaugh’s buyout prevent Michigan from firing him?

Michigan was embarrassed vs. Wisconsin and many Wolverines fans are running out of patience with Jim Harbaugh, but will the school really fire him this season?

Jim Harbaugh was supposed to be the savior for Michigan football when he was hired before the 2015 season. He’s been good with three 10-win seasons, but the lack of wins vs. Ohio State and Big Ten titles has many fans wondering if it’ll ever get better or if this is as good as it gets.

In the wake of Michigan getting blown out by Wisconsin in Camp Randall in Week 4 and the offense looking as bad as it has in Harbaugh’s tenure, some are wondering if it’s time to sever ties with Harbaugh.

Would Michigan really fire the coach they coveted for years?

Many fans are screaming at the top of their lungs, “YES!” while others are taking a conservative approach and wondering, “If you fire Harbaugh, who are you getting to replace him.”

Both sides of the fanbase make good points. They are frustrated and want Michigan football to be better than what it’s been under Harbaugh. And that’s not to say Michigan is bad. They won 10 games three times in the last four years and have three top-15 finishes.

That said, they are 0-3 in bowl games the last three years and Harbaugh is still looking for his first win vs. Ohio State and Big Ten East division title. That part is really bad and at the crux of the conversation about Harbaugh’s future.

I’ve long been a Harbaugh supporter, but it’s hard to defend him when the quarterback play and the offense has been so underwhelming. This is a coach who was supposed to be a quarterback guru who could get the most out of the talent at the position. Whether Harbaugh just hasn’t evolved with the rest of the nation with his offensive concepts and principles or the talent just isn’t there, both are his fault.

Okay, so back to the million-dollar question, will Michigan fire Harbaugh if he doesn’t beat Ohio State and the struggles continue this year?

Definitely maybe.

The program is at a crossroads.

Harbaugh is owed a $15 million buyout if he is fired this season. The buyout drops to $10 million if he’s fired in 2020.

I think it would be premature to fire Harbaugh this season. After all, is Michigan going to bring in Lincoln Riley to replace him? I just worry about who the replacement would be.

Is Michigan going to pursue Les Miles this time around? That would be a big step backward from retaining Harbaugh.

But it’s clear Harbaugh needs to be better. If Michigan thinks the ceiling for this program under Harbaugh is winning 10 games and flirting with the top-10, then that may be tough to move on from.

If they think Harbaugh needs a little more time to find his quarterback and think another year could make the difference in closing the gap on Ohio State, he could get a reprieve.

I think the latter makes more sense, although it won’t satisfy the rapid Michigan fans who have seen enough and know it’s not going to get better.

Michigan is who they are and that’s a very good team, but not a great team. And if you’re never going to be a great team, maybe it’s time to swallow that and make the tough decision to part ways and fire Harbaugh at the end of the year.

He may go back to the NFL where he’d be hired in a second. Maybe he takes a year off and works on TV to recharge his battery. But if Michigan fires Harbaugh they better have the next Lincoln Riley on standby otherwise they risk falling back into the black hole that was Michigan football before Harbaugh dug them out of that abyss.