Feast Or Famine For Harbaugh

By: Mike Rifkin

Thanksgiving means spending time with family and college football rivalry games. The best rivalry in college football and one of the best in all of sports, is Michigan vs Ohio State. This game also looms large in the College Football Playoffs. The latest rankings has Ohio State in the playoff at number two in the country while Michigan is on the outside at number five. 

After successful runs at San Diego University and Stanford Harbaugh went to the NFL to coach the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh went 44-19-1 in four seasons with the 49ers and took them to a Super Bowl where they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens and his brother John. In December of 2015 Harbaugh signed a seven year deal worth 52.1 million dollars to become the coach of his alma mater the University of Michigan. In January of this year Harbaugh signed a four year extension at a lower salary. 

Harbaugh’s record at Michigan is 59-23 but that doesn’t matter. What matters is how you play against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. Harbaugh is 3-9 against the Spartans and Buckeyes combined. All 3 of those wins are against Michigan State Harbaugh has never defeated Ohio State. 

In order for Michigan to win this game their defensive backs have to play good coverage against the Ohio State receivers Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Olave and Wilson both should have been nominated for the Biletnikoff award for best receiver in the country and both will be first round picks in the NFL draft in April. But if the Michigan defensive backs do their job it allows Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo who have combined for 19.5 sacks to get pressure on CJ Stroud. Michigan needs quarterback Cade Mcnamara to make some plays through the air, Erick All, Mike Sanistril, Cornelius Johnson and company need to help their quarterback out. The third key is to avoid the big mistake every year in these games it feels there is one play that Michigan never recovers from and it enables the Buckeyes to pull away. 

This is the best rivalry in college football. With a spot in the Big Ten title game and potentially a shot in the College Football Playoffs on the line it is time for Jim Harbaugh to earn his money.