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Michigan Football: It’s a Must-Win Situation Today for Jim Harbaugh

By Bob Heyrman

EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 20: LJ Scott #3 of the Michigan State Spartans is tackled by the Michigan Wolverines defense during a second half run at Spartan Stadium on October 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan won the game 21-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 20: LJ Scott #3 of the Michigan State Spartans is tackled by the Michigan Wolverines defense during a second half run at Spartan Stadium on October 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan won the game 21-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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It’s a must-win for Michigan football. More importantly, it’s a must-win for Jim Harbaugh today.

The NFL coaching rumors usually start to surface right about this time of year, and the head coach of the Michigan Football team normally headlines as one of the top candidates.  It’s no different this year.

There will be at least a minimum of six NFL head coaching vacancies come playoff time.  Harbaugh’s name has been floated around already after the Thursday night football debacle this past week.  Perhaps Jim would be able to manage the unique personalities that currently call Cleveland home, but would he even consider the dysfunctional Browns as his next place of employment?  Unlikely.  There are other potential job openings, perhaps Miami, the Jets, Giants, Falcons, amongst others.

It’s a scenario that I hope we don’t need to discuss further, Harbaugh leaving Michigan.  A loss today to the Michigan State Spartans will only add fuel to the smoldering NFL rumors.  Today is a crucial game for Michigan football.  The Wolverines can’t afford to lose this game today, yet the Spartans simply have nothing to lose.

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Michigan State has stumbled their way through the college season.  The Spartans have been the definition of inconsistent.  Earlier in the season, the Spartans struggled and found a way to rebound.  Since then, they’ve lost four in a row, but three of those were to top ten teams in the country.  The major let down came last week at the hands of Illinois.

Elijah Collins rushed for 170 yards including a pair of scores, and the Spartans still lost 37-34 last week.  If Mark Dantonio’s club has any chance of winning today, they will need a similar effort out of Collins on the ground. The Spartans have won four of the last six contests, just adding more pressure to the Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Jim wasn’t hired just to be a coach who regularly wins 9 or 10 games.  He was hired to win Big Ten championships, rivalry games, and be a constant National Championship contender.  Thus far, he’s failed in all of those categories.  Yes, Michigan won last year’s game, but the folks in Ann Arbor are expecting Jim to string together a bunch of rivalry wins.  Jim is 2-2 against Dantonio and hasn’t won at home yet.  Harbaugh has failed to beat Ohio State since arriving at Michigan.

In fact, folks are expecting a blowout.  Don’t count the chickens before they hatch, although Michigan State appears to have quit on Dantonio this season; he’s been able to elevate his players in these types of games in the past.  If Michigan gets the lead, Jim Harbaugh would be wise to keep his foot on the accelerator, don’t just win, blow them out.

Expect some retaliation today by the Spartans.  Remember last season it was Devin Bush tearing up the Spartan’s midfield with his cleats after an earlier altercation between the two teams.

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Michigan enters the game today as the 15th ranked team in the country owning a 7-2 record.  Michigan State is unranked with a season record of 4-5.  Kick-off is set for noon; somewhere coach Bo is smiling down.

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