November 30th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
Little Brother has to win once in a while. I hope Harbaugh wins National Coach of the Year, and makes the B1G look stupid for this.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
Who cares...please don't turn this place into RCMB.
November 30th, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
This ^^
November 30th, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
This ^^
November 30th, 2021 at 3:05 PM ^
Completely agree. Both coaches did an outstanding job with their teams and significantly outperformed expectations. As a UM fan, it's OK to tip your cap, shrug your shoulders, and move on to rooting for UM this weekend.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:06 PM ^
I knew he would get it. Harbaugh is not liked by the B1G.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
MSU was predicted to be worse than Michigan this year, after a season in which they finished last in the East.
MSU didn't win the East, but they were 1 game out with a win over the East Champ.
I don't have much of a problem with it. 1 more game to go win and claim everything greater than MSU can, and Harbaugh seems comfortable in who he is and what he has accomplished this season (donating back his bonuses for example).
November 30th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
"1 game out" sounds a lot better than "one 49 point beatdown away" from an East Championship.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Penn State once won it despite a 39 point beatdown. It's cool. I'm cool with it. He is a good coach, and none of the individual awards - even the heisman, matter as much as the Big Ten 'ship. Football is a team game. Win the 'ship. LET'S GO!
November 30th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
I've said it before, but I'm generally fine with how the MSU game played out. Couldn't be too upset by it, just a few unlucky breaks, but no systemic failure that bore out to show Michigan to be the lesser team.
I think as the season progressed it's clear now though that the gap between Michigan and MSU is closer to the 30-14 score it was in the 2nd half that it was 37-33 at the final gun. Michigan is the better team. Play that game 10 times and Michigan wins it 7 or 8 times.
Tucker can have the COY award. They got trounced by OSU, lost to an unranked Purdue, and needed Michigan to give up a 16 point 2nd half lead including an unforced fumble and two 2 point conversions. Clear to me that MSU is the 3rd best team in the East, but they weren't expected to be that when the season opened.
November 30th, 2021 at 2:05 PM ^
Agreed, but.....
AGHHHH SANRISTRIL WAS WIDE OPEN FOR A TD I NEED SPARTY TEARS
November 30th, 2021 at 5:50 PM ^
It also sounds better than “3rd place of one of the divisions in the conference”
November 30th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
I agree. A lot of places had them projected with 5 or 6 wins, and they did much better. JH has to be in the running for the NCAAF coach of the year though.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Yeah, I could see an argument for both. Very impressive job by both coaches this year. In most other years this would be a no brainer for Harbaugh but it came in a year when a guy scraped together a team from the transfer portal and beat the other contender for the award to go from last place to 10-2 and third in the division.
It's close enough not complain much. Still would have given it to the guy that revamped his coaching staff and went from second to last in the division to first.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
But now the AD staff loses out on the $50,000 COTY bonus.
It would be cool if the AD also matched JH using the $$$ they will gain from the team's success. Now, gotta win Saturday!
November 30th, 2021 at 2:07 PM ^
I see your point and get the logistics. One thing I find comical, at least as a M fan, is the thought of what this and the entire perception of Mel Tucker would have been had the strip sack TD right before half time not been miraculously over-turned based on the video evidence. That play stands, we win (obviously not a given, but also, a given), Mel Tucker looks more like an average-to-good coach this year, he may or may not get a ridiculous extension, Aidan Hutchinson can add more stats to his ridiculous resume, and that fumble recovery probably lands him on the Bednarik watch list, since clearly a fumble recovery TD was the only thing he was needing to be included, Jim Harbaugh wins Big Ten COTY, we are arguing with people about whether its us or UGA that should be #1...obviously taking some liberties here, but the idea/thought is still there.
November 30th, 2021 at 2:20 PM ^
That, the Nebraska punt screw-up, a close game in the snow against Penn State...7-5 was mere feet away.
But they got 10-2 and fought for it. He's doing solid things there. Do I think the success is going to be as easily replicated in the future, given HOW he did it, as Sparty fans seem to think it is? No. But he earned it this year, I'm cool with it.
November 30th, 2021 at 2:53 PM ^
^ This. We may not think much of MSU and their future with our maize tinted glasses but 10-2 is a good year and they were picked to be last in the BIG East.
If you told Michigan fans before the beginning of the season that the team's record would be 10-2 at the end of the season, not a single person would turn that down.
I don't know if Mel is going to be a good coach in the long term but we should tip our caps to the job he has done this year even if we think Harbaugh is better.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
You're right but Coach of the Year is rarely the best coaching job of the year but the best story. Staee winning 10 games and beating Michigan is an easy story to understand.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
Harbaugh winning 11 games, finally beating a good Ohio State team and winning the East after a 2 win season is a decent story.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Decenter.
November 30th, 2021 at 2:44 PM ^
grammar police here. use the word correctly. for instance, 'ann arbor is decenter of the CFB universe'
November 30th, 2021 at 2:58 PM ^
It's a GREAT story, more decenter than the EL story (BoCan), b/c AA is decenter of the CFB universe (XM).
But despite BPONE, losses to rivals, etc., Michigan is still considered a blue-chip program so the thrill we feel is 10 wins isn't as dramatic to the Indianas & Northwesterns & Nebraskas, as Staee's 10 wins.
Obviously though "Michigan-wins-again" isn't as dramatic, Harbaugh's a better coach, Michigan's schedule was tougher, its wins more impressive.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:27 PM ^
M winning 11 games including arch rival OSU for the first time in Harbaughs career on the way to winning the B1G East is an even easier story to understand
you sound like Tyrion making the case for Bran the Broken to be the next ruler of Westeros
November 30th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Uh spoiler alert. What was all this "the one that is promised" talk? Bang your aunt and lose the throne huh?
November 30th, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
overthrone, amirite?
November 30th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
They weren't supposed to make a bowl and they went 10-2. Don't act like MSU didn't have an unexpectedly great year too.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
Sounds a lot like people's expectations for Michigan, except they went 11-1, pushed OSU around and are playing for a B1G Championship on Saturday. Objectively, JH and Michigan had a more unexpectedly great than MT, the refs, and MSU did.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
The way he coached the Nebraska punter to kick away from his entire coverage team was genius. Not to mention how he coached the refs to overturn the strip sack touchdown against us. That's some high level coaching. Not just any coach can get his team ranked #33 in SP+ (just 32 others, in fact).
They had a nice little season, with two bad losses, even when everything went their way. Now they are tied long-term to a coach with a very thin resume. Let's see if they can keep up with expectations.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:07 PM ^
I wouldn’t be surprised if Harbaugh is named National Coach of year too.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
Eh, it's not like he doesn't deserve it. They vastly exceeded expectations. Vastly. Yes, they are fortunate to get 10 wins looking at the advanced stats are were very heavily reliant on a home run transfer that I'm not sure can be replicated. But still, they won 10 games.
But yes, I think Harbaugh exceeded them more considering won 11 games and beat OSU and won the division. I think voting may take place before the OSU game, kind of like Heisman voting takes place before all the games are finished. I wonder if results would be different if voting took place only after Championship games.
Also reminds me of the 2011 season when Hoke won over Dantonio despite MSU winning the division. In that case, MSU still had two loses, same as UM, but relative to expectations UM outperformed after MSU was coming off a good 2010 season I believe.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
All fairness to Tucker: He legitimately did a very good job this year. Props to him.
*whispers*: Mel Tucker has never finished better than 3rd in the Big Ten East and doesn't even know how to get to Indy.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:19 PM ^
He thinks Indy borders Pakistan.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:35 PM ^
LOL - shocked if he was geopolitically aware enough to even make that mistake
November 30th, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
Hopefully he also has to answer questions after every loss about how overpaid he is. Seems only fair. And if Walker doesn't make it to NY for the Heisman (because, say, Hutch is invited instead), I wouldn't mind some mention of a September Heisman either.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:53 PM ^
Strange that a similar season for PSU (lost to UM but won the division) Franklin has been looked as the better coach of the two between him and Harbaugh. And Harbaugh blew him out that year and a fluke play gave PSU the win over OSU. Strange how these goalposts keep on moving.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
Expectations vs Performance
Michigan outperformed their expectations of being decent and has been very good
MSU outperformed their expectations of being bad and has been good
November 30th, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
This is the best explanation.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
who cares?
November 30th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
you couldn't just comment in the big ten awards thread??
November 30th, 2021 at 1:47 PM ^
No -- s/he has crapped all over the board lately.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
MSU was picked to finished dead last in the East and they didn't. I also think that Jim Harbaugh is probably not as popular amongst the rest of the Big Ten Coaches fraternity.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
The coaches still hate Jim for those satellite camps.?
November 30th, 2021 at 1:11 PM ^
That's cute.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:11 PM ^
Good.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:11 PM ^
The kiss of death. I'm not disappointed that Harbaugh hasn't followed in Hoke's footsteps in that regard
November 30th, 2021 at 1:11 PM ^
They also had to prop up his shiny new contract!
November 30th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
He did a good job. He won the media award and the coaches award so it's not some big conspiracy.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:15 PM ^
Was either him or Harbaugh and he beat him. So it's somewhat rational.