How many more years will Jim Harbaugh want to coach at Michigan?

How much longer will Jim Harbaugh stay with the Wolverines? 

When former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was announced as the new head coach for the Michigan Wolverines after the program went through an awful seven years under previous head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, many in Ann Arbor expected him to complete a massive turnaround and make Michigan into national championship contenders.

While Harbaugh has certainly improved the program immensely, he has not fully lived up to his expectations. He has failed to win the Big Ten East division outright, he has not won a conference championship, and he has not taken Michigan to the College Football playoff where they would have a chance to win a national title.

Along with his shortcomings on the national and conference level, he has, most importantly, failed to beat Ohio State once during his five seasons in charge.

Michigan’s most important rival and the most important matchup on their schedule each year is, without a doubt, Ohio State. And with Michigan having been dominated by the Buckeyes for the last few seasons of Lloyd Carr’s tenure and practically all of Rich Rodriguez’s and Brady Hoke’s tenure, it is incredibly frustrating for the Wolverine faithful to see Ohio State’s dominance in the rivalry continue.

On top of the fact that Harbaugh has not beaten Ohio State, it reflects even more badly on him that three of his five losses to the Buckeyes have come in the form of a blowout. In 2015, the Wolverines lost by a score of 42-13, in 2018 the score was 62-39, and just last year Harbaugh’s squad lost by a score of 56-27.

When Hoke was coaching Michigan he at least had his vastly inferior teams ready to play against the Buckeyes and gave them a run for their money each game, especially in 2013 when the Wolverines almost pulled off a massive upset against the Buckeyes at the Big House, but lost due to a missed two-point conversion.

Despite Harbaugh’s shortcomings, he has improved the team in various ways 

Harbaugh has some very clear faults that have plagued his tenure, namely not winning big games against ranked teams and not being able to top Ohio State. But there are various aspects of the team that Harbaugh has improved, which should make his position in Ann Arbor secure for the time being.

Before he landed in Ann Arbor, Michigan had been embarrassed by their in-state rival Michigan State two years in a row, and had lost that game seven out of the last eight seasons. Over Harbaugh’s five years, he has a winning record of 3-2 against the Spartans, and realistically he should be undefeated against them if it weren’t for the infamous fumbled snap in 2015 or a torrential downpour coupled with a horrible quarterback in John O’Korn starting under center in 2017.

Also, while Harbaugh has failed to win big games he has won all the games Michigan should be expected to win.

Just for some perspective, in Hoke’s last year at the helm in 2014, Michigan lost to Minnesota, Maryland, and Rutgers… Rutgers! And the team ended that year 5-7.

Harbaugh’s Wolverines have never even had a chance to lose games like that and have never had a losing record, which unfortunately became the norm under Rodriguez and Hoke.

Despite all the improvements Harbaugh has made to the horrible Michigan program that he inherited, many are still calling for him to leave or have lost confidence in him due to the fact that Michigan has not become a national championship-caliber program like many fans expected.

But while Michigan definitely has not become a top tier program like Clemson or Alabama, even that argument has some holes.

In Harbaugh’s second year, he entered the last game of the season against Ohio State ranked No. 3 in the country with the winner securing a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and most likely a spot in the College Football playoff. Michigan fought incredibly hard in that game, and many feel like they should have emerged victorious but were robbed by some questionable officiating.

Then in 2018, Michigan went to play the Buckeyes in the Horse Shoe with a chance to go to the Big 10 championship game and then most likely the playoffs, but then fell in unceremonious fashion.

Numerous Michigan fans are frustrated with Harbaugh, but he has made Michigan a team that will consistently win at least eight or nine games each year. The only true hurdle that is hindering Harbaugh is not beating Ohio State, and if he is able to do that his job will remain secure for as long as he wants it.

But Michigan fans must realize that Ohio State is on a whole different level than every other team in the conference, and even if a new coach were brought in that would not change the Wolverines’ fortune in the rivalry.

For now, the Michigan faithful should be content with a coach that produces good seasons each year, and has brought them to the brink of a semifinal appearance twice. And Harbaugh loves Michigan football and loves coaching at his alma mater. It is hard to see him coaching anywhere else and should be able to keep his job for as long as he wants, which will be for many years to come.