Your Non M Friends Reactions

They laugh and say it isn't happening. Just think, when it does happen, we can rub it in their faces and laugh. The Sparties and Buckeyes will be shaking with fear.

In my neighborhood - OSU fan, PSU alum, MSU alum and played there, Hoosier: had a neighborhood Holiday party last night and none of them think JH is even remotely interested as they have all been listening to the talking heads/ESPN talking heads...but as I told them everything I know based on Sam/Chris Balas/Brian etc., I could smell the fear...and a couple of them peed their pants I am pretty sure.

I live in Atlanta and most are from SEC schools or Falcons fans and few have any clue about B1G football. Surprisingly I haven't heard much chatter from Falcons fans which surprises me because it seems like a good fit. They seem to be focused on Rex Ryan right now.

Funny thing about down here is that outside of Alabama and Nick Saban I think every fanbase has an indifferent attitude toward their coaches. A lot of people wanted Richt gone 4-5 years ago and Miles has drawn some fire for his salary vs. performance the last few seasons.

Probably the most interesting thing I have heard is from Alabama fans who seem to think Saban may not be there for much longer. They think NFL or possibly Miami (YTM). I don't see that happening but if he is listening to other teams and JH doesn't work out, I would definitely reach out to him.

All my ND and Sparty friends try to brush it off by saying shit like "I hope he comes, he's a jackass." 

Now that I live in Southwest Florida, I am surrounded by Sparties, Buckeyes and even worse, Arizona alums.

After proudly boasting, "We are a basketball school" after the Syracuse win, I'm now terrified to leave my house. Please make it stop.

My home is the only safe place to wear all of my Michigan stuff.

I live in Columbus, Ohio fan's reaction has been pretty consistent. They are nervous about the potential hire.

My two best friends are both OSU fans. They want him to come, because it would be great for The Game and great for the conference.
My wife is also an OSU fan, and she wants him too, mostly so I stop obsessively checking for updates.
Being in Columbus, most of my colleagues are OSU fans. With them, you can sense a subtle nervousness at the prospect of Harbaugh coming to Michigan. They either deny he would leave the NFL or scoff at Michigan "overpaying and begging" him to come.

I try to avoid being friends with non UM fans, so everyone I know is filled with paranoid dreadful hysterics and audacious hope.

As an outsider with absolutely no horse in the race I think it is imperative that he comes and revives the program.  College football is just so much better when the old powers are actually powers.  And despite my loyalty to ND I always had respect for UM and its traditions.  (I even use Bo's The Team speech when I talk to the kids I coach).

However, I believe that he wants a Lombardi trophy and after losing to his brother I think he wants it that much more.  I have no sources and I don't believe anything thats come out to date on either side.  I think its in his head, but I also think he is focused on finishing out the year and then deciding.  I fully believe he will be in the NFL next year.  My bet would be that Miles is your coach next year despite the media blah blah who will return the program to a state of good for the next hire after he retires.

Everyone saying that Dantonio is scared and will start gong 6-6 if Harbaugh is hired you are either drunk off your ass and need to go to bed, or you haven't been paying attention.  MSU doesn't get 5* guys, they have proven you don't need them.  They'll be fine.  And OSU is OSU.

I just wish the MGoCommunity would ratchet down the expectation, because man its going to be a hard fall if Harbaugh doesn't come.  Which means the next coach not named Harbaugh is going to be compared to Harbaugh which isn't fair.

Most people I hang out with, some Michigan grads just don't think he's giving up the NFL. Then I tell them about the blogs and info that comes out of them, all I get are these weird looks. My wife hopes the hire happens soon so i don't screw up the holidays. She looks at me staring at my computer like I have become some lost soul. A simple yes from Jim would heal a lot of issues.

I want JH, or at least a stoops/miles, so all the people I live near can shut their shit bubbling mouths.

They don't see why he'd want to leave the NFL, since they don't view Michigan as any good. 

Nor do they get the concept of how perfect he'd fit, the things that he would bring that make a difference.  They just want to look at it objectively coaching-wise only, without these other intangibles, so they are amused at our enthusiasm.

I try to explain to them that it really IS tangible.  I guess they just don't get Michigan Football. 

 

so the subject hasn't come up.  They generally haven't been comfortable talking about coaching changes for a couple of years.

Most folks follow the NFL. Those that follow college generally follow SEC or PAC12 teams. So they have no inside info on Michigan nor, other than a couple of fellow MIchigan alums and a couple of OSU fans, do they pay much attention to the Big Ten. Despite that they all know about Michigan's recent record, Hoke getting fired, (and Rodriguez getting fired for that matter), and the current chatter about Harbaugh. I get asked about this all the time. Less often I get asked "who is that Brandon guy and why was he fired?". 

1: Without exception they are all certain that Harbaugh is staying in the NFL and we are all nuts to think anything else. Because "NFL".

2: For Michigan to dig its current crater there must be a lot more wrong than just a head coach, or a coaching staff in general, and thinking that "another new head coach" will fix the problem(s) is wishful thinking at best.

3: They think it's sad and bad for football that a "great program has turned to crap". 

from growing up on the Michigan/Ohio border in farm country.  90% think we're delusional and not worthy of any coach, of let's say Jim Mora JR caliber,  because Michigan isn't an elite job.  

Also, I've been bullish about Harbaugh from the start, saying it has been 50-50 from the first rumor.  Everyone, when my opinion on the matter came up, laughed and me and responded, "HE'S NOT COMING!"  When I pressed for facts for the base of their opinion, they just mumbled "because" or something along those lines.

One friend, after the first rumor, put this happening at .1%.  I actually sought him out Thursday and asked if he had changed his odds any.  He still won't give it a high percentage, but it goes to show that non Michigan are scared to death, and are using lots of covers not to show it.

From a high school classmate from about 14 years ago: " All this chatter about Harbaugh makes me laugh. Let's not forget he's taking over a sub par program at best. You still have to win games. Three weeks ago it was a basketball school, after two losses it's a football school again...Rumor has it no one wants the job and they may cancel the program!" This is a HUGE nd fan and Ferris State alum. Hardly one to be talking. Read some of the comments from his 'friends' and they support this view because apparently even the Duke coach turned down the job that was offered to him. Some people are amazing.

At first they were laughing and unconcerned, but their worry seems to increase daily after the offer rumors. And my dad says the few OSU guys at work want to see Harbaugh vs. Meyer. I have the impression that fans of the traditional football powers think Harbaugh would be good for Michigan, the B1G, and college football.       

A bunch of MSU and OSU fans. The sparties are completely delusional and have forgotten that their team has been crap for much of the last 50 years. OSU fans want us to get a good coach, but thought JH was a pipe dream. I heard several assholes slam shut in the office when the offer leaked.

Those I've talked to in Ohio tend to think we'll get him (though a week or two back they thought we were delusional and he was gonna stay in the NFL for sure,) and tend to think he'll do a good job.  BUT I haven't heard anything in the way of concern, honestly.  After some second guessing of Meyer late last season and following the Va Tech game, most people around here have returned to thinking that OSU is going to steamroll the Big 10 and make the playoffs every season as long as Meyer is in charge.  Basically, they expect Harbaugh to do better than Hoke or RR but for us still to be second best.

Like I said I live in Lansing, I could but I won't copy and paste everything my Sparty friends say on a daily, it would create a long and hateful thread on its own. But if I were to summarize it all up what Sparty is saying then it would go like this

He ain't coming, no way UM fans are delusional and most them can't spell delusional correctly and are hash tagging that, lol, that We have Dantonio and we will continue to dominate the B1G and will he will own Harbaugh. They all pretty much say what the NFL experts say is gold and we are just a desperate fan base that should shut down our football program because we are done and will never compete with them again, Sparty has spoken my friends we should fear them since they say, THIS IS SPARTA!!!! Give me a break they act like that movie was made for them, smh, anyways I can see the FEAR written on their foreheads and they are still beating on their chest to hide that they are scared as a mutha Fer! F Sparty!!! I can't wait for Harbaugh to punch them dead in the mouth and return them to where they belong

Most of my friends are OSU guys (and I'm in Chicago). They all think he's coming.

I have friends from both Okla and UK who DO NOT LIKE the way we're eyeing up their Stoopses.

I live in Columbus, and the general sentiment amongst some of my friends here is that they do think there's a good chance he's coming. Some of them even want him to come just to improve the conference and make The Game an actual game again.

But no one will even acknowledge the fact that Harbaugh could actually beat Meyer. It's an odd thing to think about: they criticize us for being arrogant, and yet now that Meyer is in charge, they think their team is completely unbeatable and will go to the playoffs every year. They think Meyer would "take Harbaugh's lunch money and own him."

I have no idea if Harbaugh would beat Meyer. I know he absolutely could, though, and I would love nothing more than to wipe the shit-eating grin off of their fan's faces.

I live in Cleveland. The consensus states that UM is dreaming, and it's laughable to think that Harbaugh is coming. My God, I hate these pricks, and if they're right...well, you know

Interestingly, one of my OSU friends who is a St Ignatius alum and knows former players from Cleveland told me that Harbaugh was a done deal (per former players) the day after Hoke was fired. This guy is a huge OSU fan but also a huge CFB fan. He has no reason to troll. I didn't believe him at first but I'm starting to think this ball has been in motion ever since Hackett came on board and kept wonderfully a secret.

They have been towing the NFL reporting line, ie up to about 3-4 days ago they've been telling me I'm smoking crack but have really awoken to the possibility in the past few days

my OSU friend legit wants harbaugh.. its to the point where the rivalry is boring for them... ugh

And most are oblivious to all of it. As in, "You all fired your coach? Football or basketball?" Except one Buckeye and one Mountaineer who were completely dismissive of the rumor that UM could offer $48-$49 million over 6 or 8 years. Some have zero understanding of our resources. Especially the Mountaineers, whom we could bury many times over (resources-wise, that is).

pure silence.... I think it's masked fear

For those of you who not know Detroit sports radio. Valenti (MSU moron) and Foster (worthless Detroit News sports columnist) have an afternoon show on WDFN 97.1. They are the most negative opinionated low lifes on sports radio and only behind Drew Sharp in the whole of  local sports media. I can't believe that they actually get paid for what they do. They purposely denigrate all who call in!

Valenti's reaction to Harbaugh was "utter fear" and believed that it would happen because it is the worst case senario for his sparties because he knows MSU would return to irrelevent status.

I believe it was the first and only time he said something that was worth listening to.

 

. Oops wrong post in the wrong thread. Too many windows open