JH: Harbaugh Watch Day 1
In the interest of limiting the discussion to less than 1000 threads (and create a timeline that should be interesting to look back on in the future), please contain developments (non-monumental of course) to this post. Avoid sniping, pro or con, as Michigan undoubtedly pursues Jim after his successful Orange Bowl win.
Should be interesting.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
Have I been pronouncing Harbaugh wrong?
Or maybe it's Jamoca I'm not getting right?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:13 AM ^
lay off the jergens during the JH press conference
January 4th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
man just imagine the spotlight it puts on michigan if he comes here. a recruiting dream for all of us with how many top notch recruits that michigan could be in on
January 4th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
Stanford's performance in the Orange Bowl was classic Harbaugh. He pretty much told us fans and Alum to back that Brinks truck up to my door.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
After that performance, I don't think most of the rich alums would mind ponying up at all if that's all it took.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
that domino's is providing pizza for Stanford and the crust has extra butter.....just sayin
January 4th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
After that Orange Bowl, I don't know how any of the current M players wouldn't be a little excited about playing in that system. After the sting of losing their current coach wears off
<br>That's how I'm feeling
January 4th, 2011 at 12:16 AM ^
I'm curious as to what the content of Harbaugh's upcoming news conference will be (if you're not watching ESPN anymore, apparently a Jim Harbaugh news conference is coming up sometime). Will he simply say when he's going to decide what he's doing, or will he actually announce it?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:17 AM ^
it will have nothign to do with CC, he will avoid those questions completely.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
guy.
I am reminded of Ben Crenshaw's last comment the night before the Singles of the Ryder Cup in Mass. He said "This isn't over. I'm a big believer in destiny," or something like that. The US came back and won that Ryder Cup.
WE HAVE A SHOT! Until it's announced otherwise, we have a shot.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:21 AM ^
there's a chance!
January 4th, 2011 at 1:06 AM ^
I missed the quote. Thanks for the vid.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
So wait, he teaches fundamentals exceptionally well, recruits future #1 picks, is aggressive on the field, AND is a gruff, crotchety jackass to stupid reporters?
It's like if Lloyd was as aggressive on the field as we all wished he was.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:19 AM ^
Per Orange Bowl?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^
I'm afraid the hype's going to cause mass chaos on this board if Harbaugh doesn't come here.
MGoSeppuku.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^
I'm not miserable.
<br>
<br>I fear for Brandon though. Not even a year on the job, and his whole tenure could get defined.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:22 AM ^
Is that not what he wants all along?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:35 AM ^
But this one falls through, and it's going to be a mess for everybody.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^
I feel compelled to point out that while Harbaugh would probably be an excellent choice (really, the only non-RR good choice for Michigan) he needed four years to reach this level at Stanford....had he been fired after three, he'd have left with only two more wins than RR has right now. Just sayin'.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:24 AM ^
But he beat the piss out of USC early on. I'd like to have hope against OSU again.
And then see Tressel's "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL" face.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
January 4th, 2011 at 12:53 AM ^
Then again, USC was 8-4 that year, hardly the usual USC. I know, I know, RR didn't beat any 8-4 teams. The point really is that 2009 isn't what made Harbaugh the hot candidate. It took four years for Harbaugh to get to the point where he became worth everyone's time to talk about, and RR has had just three.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^
In 2007, when they were the usual USC, Harbaugh's team went to L.A. and beat them as a 41-point underdog (the largest upset in history). The man can coach.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:42 AM ^
He beat Oregon that year too.
EDIT: And that USC team won their bowl and finished 22nd in the AP and 20th in the Sagarin ratings. They weren't among the elite, but beating them by 34 was still a huge accomplishment. Especially since they did it on the road.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:35 AM ^
- Michigan has a tremendous institutional advantage over Stanford. Our prestige, facilities, and nationwide pull rank among the nation's elite. Stanford, on the other hand, cannot even fill up their stadium when they go 11-1 and make a BCS bowl.
- Stanford's academic requirements for athletes are higher than Michigan (and every other D-1 school) when it comes to taking recruits, meaning that they have to recruit from a smaller pool than Michigan does.
- Harbaugh never produced a defense as terrible as Michigan's was this year. This is important because the only way Michigan can get substantially better is to improve the defense, as the offense can only be reasonably expected to improve so much considering that it is already an elite unit. Considering that defensive performance has deteriorated every year under Rodriguez, there is substantial reason to worry about what will happen next year should he stay on, new staff or no.
- The best win on Rodriguez's resume would probably be his win over Notre Dame this year. From 2007-09, Harbaugh netted two road wins over strong USC teams ('07 and '09), a strong Oregon team ('09), and a strong Oregon State team ('08). That's 4 wins over teams that finished the year ranked, including 2 wins over the Pac 10 Champion. From 2007-2009, Stanford went 4-6 against ranked opponents. From 2008-2010, Michigan went 1-12 against ranked opponents.*
- 2009 Stanford had a much better season than 2010 Michigan.** And not just because they won one more game. 2009 Stanford went 2-0 against ranked opponents (and they played a host of 8-5 schools that didn't finish ranked but still had solid seasons). 2010 Michigan went 1-4 against ranked opponents. 2009 Stanford had a final point differential of 461-345 (+116). 2010 Michigan had a final point differential of 426-458 (-32). 2009 Stanford lost 5 games by an average of 6.4 points. Only one loss came by more than one score (they lost by 10 at Oregon State). In contrast, 2010 Michigan lost six games by an average of 20.83 points. The closest losses came by 10 points against both Iowa and Penn State.
- Harbaugh's Pac 10 record from 2007-2009 was 13-14. Rodriguez's Big Ten record from 2008-2010 was 6-18.***
I could go on, but I think that my case is strong enough already. So even discounting this season for Harbaugh (which would be very difficult for Rodriguez to duplicate next season), his performance has still been vastly superior to Rodriguez's.
*I used the AP rankings for convenience's sake. Other rankings, such as the BCS, Sagarin, etc. generally give better records for Stanford and worse records for Michigan. Furthermore, I used the Week 15 rankings for Michigan's 2010 record against ranked teams. The one win came against Connecticut, who will almost assuredly not be ranked in the final rankings.
**I feel that using point differential as a basic basis for comparison is justified here, as 2009 Stanford and 2010 Michigan played approximately equal schedules according to Sagarin (Stanford's was actually slightly stronger).
***Likewise, I feel that it is valid to compare conference records, considering that the Pac 10 has been ranked above the Big Ten by Sagarin in each year under consideration (2007-2010).
January 4th, 2011 at 1:52 AM ^
January 4th, 2011 at 2:03 AM ^
I don't like to bash this season either, but I feel that it is important to back up my argument. The most common criticism leveled by those who want Rodriguez to stay against those that don't is that our arguments are short on facts. The only way I can see to remedy this is to be clear in my critique of Rodriguez's performance and to use data fairly. And in order to respond to the argument that Harbaugh has had four seasons to Rodriguez's three, it is important to note that Harbaugh's team in season 3 was strong enough that his record in his fourth season wasn't all that surprising, whereas if Rodriguez goes 12-1 with a BCS win next season it will be very surprising.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:21 AM ^
This whole CC thing has made me very concerned about this recruting class; however, if JH does indeed come here, I can't see how any recruit wouldn't be excited to come to Michigan.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:21 AM ^
Is officially in crisis mode.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:26 AM ^
Methinks the entire football program and fanbase is in crisis mode.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
Really impressed with listening to these Stanford dudes speak. I think our players are great, too, but it's another good sign.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:27 AM ^
button if he says he's going to the NFL?
Personally, I think he will say nothing about his future plans. If he's coming, he will wait for DB and they will announce together. If he's not, he'll stall for the best deal he can get. Either way, no news tonight is my guess. But I'm still watchin'!
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
We should start a rally and bombard Harbaugh's office with maize and blue mini footballs. This sort of campaign worked once before as CBS was sent a lot of can of nuts to prolong Jericho for one more season.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
Can we sell North Campus to make this happen? East Quad? Oxford?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:30 AM ^
I'm willing to nix the HD scoreboard plan in the stadium.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:37 AM ^
Where would the Michigan Marching Band Members go to class? Seriously, when I went to UofM it seemed like the EECS building was full of MMB jackets.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:51 AM ^
If the sale agreement stipulates the Panda Express stays, they will still come.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
Well, it is exciting. The only drawback is that, if JH slips away, everyone's gonna be disappointed. DB better put up or shut up.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
FWIW, I think he's better-suited to the college game. His rah-rah stuff is perfect for this level, but might wear thin in the pros.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:32 AM ^
Rex Ryan.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:34 AM ^
He just looks tailored for the college game. Cmon man stay in college and come with us!
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 AM ^
I pray there is no need for atomic anything. Here it comes...
January 4th, 2011 at 12:30 AM ^
Is surpassed by the fear from other B10 fans, that he will come.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:30 AM ^
JH is the head coach, but isn't Andrew Luck the architect.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:38 AM ^
Maybe JH is trying to incept our minds....
Maybe these rumors of him going to the NFL are just his attempts at trying to get the idea to stick in our subconsciences and grow...
....
January 4th, 2011 at 12:31 AM ^
Pretty solid job making it about tonight and his players