Joel Klatt: Notion that Harbaugh is underperforming is "false" and "petty"
October 13th, 2017 at 5:11 AM ^
Some truths we hold to be self evident...
October 13th, 2017 at 5:35 AM ^
It seems as if a lot of the discussion focused on Year 3, since he turned Stanford and the 49ers around within that time frame.
However, perhaps the Pac-12 and NFL West were not as competitive as the B1G. Further, he had outstanding quarterbecks with both of those teams. We cannot say the same for Michigan.
Harbaugh's losses have been to OSU, MSU and Iowa. There is no question in my mind that the B1G is way more competitve than either of those.
We have had two terrific years under Harbaugh and there is no doubt that he turned this team and program around after RR and Hoke. Then the speculation (optimism?) focused on winning the National Championship or at least the B1G within the first three years. The latter is still possible, although that may be blind optimism, but it can happen.
So let's just give him and the team a break.
October 13th, 2017 at 7:15 AM ^
That was refreshing and something I needed.
Go blue! Win out and win Big Ten Championship and no one will give a shit about MSU.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:46 AM ^
Klatt is 100% right. Do you remember where we were before Harbaugh was hired? I'd prefer not to go back to those days. Here are Harbaugh stats in key games:
Games Decided by 1 score or less:
at Utah (L by 7)
vs #7 Michigan State (L by 4)
at Minnesota (W by 3)
at Indiana (W by 7 -2 OT)
vs #8 Wisconsin (W by 7)
at Iowa (L by 1)
at #2 Ohio State (L by 3 -OT)
N vs #10 Florida State (L by 1)
vs Michigan State (L by 4)
That's 3-6 in games decided by 7 or less. Most advanced stats guys will tell you that unless your coach is just awful when it comes to game theory, this will eventually approach 50%. The dropped punt, the spot, the Golden God Ron Coluzzi, the missed ST tackle against FSU, the monsoon. These are unfortunate events that went against Michigan. The only game you could point to and say Michigan was lucky to win would be the Minnesota game. And let's be honest, the Wisconsin game was only decided by 7 because we missed 3 FGs.
Games Against Ranked Opponents:
vs #22 BYU (W by 31)
vs #13 Northwestern (W by 38)
vs #7 Michigan State (L by 4)
vs #8 Ohio State (L by 29)
N #19 Florida (W by 34)
at #2 Ohio State (L by 3-OT)
vs #8 Wisconsin (W by 7)
N vs #10 Florida State (L by 1)
N #17 Florida (W by 16)
Harbaugh is 5-4 vs ranked opponents with 3 of those losses coming by a total of 8 points. They've blown out ranked teams that don't belong on the same field as them (and, yes, BYU-Northwestern-Florida x2) didn't end up being ranked teams. It's concerning that we've come up empty against every good team we've played except for Wisconsin.
Right now, the two biggest "HAWT TAKES" are that Harbaugh is 1-4 against Michigan State and Ohio State and that he's never finished better than 3rd in the Big 10 East. I wouldn't call that underachieving, I'd call it unlucky.
I'm hoping for two things the rest of the year: split the Penn State/Wisconsin road games and beat Ohio State. If that's 10-3 after a Citrus Bowl win, great.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:55 AM ^
Can't argue about his reasons, but Harbaugh is the perfect coach for M.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:56 AM ^
Can't argue about his reasons, but Harbaugh is the perfect coach for M.
October 13th, 2017 at 10:26 AM ^
By people who are either insane or want to conveniently over look how much of a pathetic dumpster fire of a program Michigan was when Harbaugh took over. You had a flashy outsider bomb as miserably as possible, followed by an incompetent insider who can't figure out which way his pants go on, all the while Michigan's two biggest in conference rivals were operating at their peak.
Michigan State has slid down a bit, but they're still competitive, and Franklin has Penn State playing at a level they haven't been at in almost 20 years. This is the toughest division in college football to win, and people like Brian told everyone before LAST season that this year would be a rebuilding season. This isn't some LSU style "oh well now we'll shit on the guys we got after we've blown it, but before that bad loss we were telling everyone we could beat Bama" stuff. Te idea that people are gnashing their teeth that this is more of a 9-3 or 8-4 team than a 11-1 or 10-2 is ridiculous. People would have killed for a "bad" year to be 9-3 or 8-4 under the last two coaches.
October 13th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
In January 2015, if we had said "would you say going 1-4 against MSU & OSU would be defined as underperforming," we would have first laughed uproariously at the possibility, and then said of course, absolutely, that is underperforming. Definitively underperforming. How would you measure underperforming, we'd ask? A really shitty record against rivals would be at the top of the Family Feud boards.
Yes, we should have won two of those. No, we did not. Those don't count the same. MSU fans say "we're 8-2 over the last decade" and we adjust our monocles and say "well, you idiots, you absolute tools, Mo Hurst is among the top tackles in the country according to PFF and we have moderate run blocking improvement! Just you wait!"
Sure, let's keep waiting while rivalry games - which NECESSARILY matter more and BY DEFINITION disproportionately define success vs struggle - pile up the Ls. Keep waiting! We'll throw out of the Pepcat formation soon!
October 13th, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
In that "terrible record against Michigan's rivals" stuff. Is Penn State not an important game for Michigan? Harbaugh's 2-0 against Penn State, which includes last year's horrifying massacre for a team THAT WON THE BIG 10. But "3-4 against the top teams in his division" doesn't sound as good as saying "1-4 against rivals lol." The Michigan State team Michigan lost to on a dropped punt made the freaking playoff. This year's Sparty game was the first time Harbaugh had lost to a rival when he clearly appeared to have the better team. What are we talking about here? What is even going on?
October 13th, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^
NO. Penn St. is not on the level of MSU and OSU for being our rivals. Quite different but thanks for playing.
October 13th, 2017 at 9:34 PM ^
PSU is not on the same level as MSU. You got that part correct, for the wrong reason
Don't get me wrong - I hate what happened there and the whole JoePa legacy. However, PSU has more national relevance than MSU, and that's not likely to change.
October 14th, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
But they are historically more of a measuring stick for Michigan than MSU is, and they won the freaking conference last year. Michigan pasted them and you don’t hear a peep about it.
October 13th, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
No, a team that joined the conference in 1993 isn't nearly on this level. Again, you're couching everything in conditionals and what-ifs. "Clearly appeared to have the better team" does not matter as much as the Just Wait crew would like. This is the fourth time Harbaugh has lost to a rival in five games. That needs to sting more. It's a results-based charting service.
October 14th, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^
That have better players and have been in the same system for years is nothing to jump on someone for. Michigan almost beat a playoff Sparty team in year one that they shouldn't have beaten. Ohio State was a superior team and Michigan almost beat them last year.
Harbaugh is being punished in some people's eyes because he elevated the program so quickly that people pretend Sparty/Ohio State were/are easy pickings nobodies Michigan should obviously be beating every year. If Michigan was having tons of games like last week where they go into the game on paper the better team and still blow it, we'd have a different discussion. That's not what's happening.
October 13th, 2017 at 12:43 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 3:19 PM ^
Adds nothing, worth nothing.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:13 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 9:37 PM ^
what does that mean in sparty language?
for that matter, what is "trutch"?
October 13th, 2017 at 8:19 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 8:56 PM ^
This garbage is what you post when you KNOW your coach is failing.
If Harbaugh actually beat Sparty or Ohio State, not a single person here would be posting links to people who claim he's a good coach.
Year 3.
Best case, Michigan finishes 3rd in the Big 10 East. Likely scenario, they finish 4th.
Them's the facts, boys and girls.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:44 PM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 12:39 AM ^
in the Big Ten East
me so scared
October 14th, 2017 at 2:40 AM ^
October 14th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
when Harbaugh surpasses expectations and Michigan manages a lofty 2nd place in the Big Ten East.
there's your relevance.
October 13th, 2017 at 8:50 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 9:10 PM ^
October 13th, 2017 at 9:41 PM ^
If you're this threatened by Harbaugh when you escape with the win.... what's going to happen to you when you lose?
And btw if you're going to reduce the schedule to the "two games that matter"... MSU isn't on that short list. Sorry.
October 14th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
Once again Dantonio outcoached Harbaugh.
Sparty goes into the Big House and makes Michigan look bad.
Oh, and since Michigan has sucked for a decade and continues to suck, it's not one of Sparty's two games that matter. Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Notre Dame are all way way more important.
October 14th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
Harbaugh has to be cooperative with press like at meyer, sweeney, carroll.
October 14th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
He appears to be on Xanax
October 14th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^