Where Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh stands in CBS Sports' ranking of top Power Five coaches
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh checked in as the fifth-best coach in the Power Five in CBS Sports national writer Tom Fornelli’s article ranking the best coaches. Harbaugh, the 2021 Associated Press Coach of the Year, is up four spots from No. 9 in CBS Sports’ 2022 rendition.
Fornelli polled a panel of voters to make determinations on the top Power Five head coaches, from No. 1 to No. 69.
Michigan’s head coach trails Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and USC’s Lincoln Riley. The top three coaches on the list have won national championships. Riley, like Harbaugh, knocked on the door with playoff appearances at his previous stop, Oklahoma. The top 10 is rounded out by LSU’s Brian Kelly, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Penn State’s James Franklin.
Harbaugh led Michigan to back-to-back Big Ten titles and two straight College Football Playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022, boosting his stock. Following the 2020 campaign, in which Michigan went 2-4 due in part to player opt-outs and injuries, Harbaugh replaced six of his 10 assistant coaches, including his defensive coordinator, and found success.
“It wasn’t hard to see the climb into the top five coming for Harbaugh,” Fornelli wrote. “That’s what tends to happen when you win the Big Ten two years in a row and reach the playoff both times. The next step for Harbaugh is winning a CFP game when he gets there. Still, even without the playoff win, Harbaugh’s reputation has recovered nicely the last few years now that he’s slain the Ohio State dragon.”
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Day ranked ahead of Harbaugh last year (No. 6) but naturally fell after losing his second straight game to the Michigan Wolverines. The Maize and Blue won, 45-23, in Columbus in November after beating the Buckeyes, 42-27, the prior season. Day’s Ohio State team still made the College Football Playoff this past year.
Harbaugh has had his ups and downs in CBS Sports’ rankings over the years. His stock was at its lowest following the 2020 season, and he was out of the top 10 for four-straight years (2018-21). But now he’s once again considered one of the most elite coaches in the land.
| Year | Jim Harbaugh’s Rank In CBS Sports Top Coaches Rankings |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2021 | 23 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2015 | 9 |
Besides the four Big Ten coaches in the top 10, only two others cracked the top 25 — Illinois’ Bret Bielema (No. 21) and Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck (No. 24). The rest of the Big Ten head men are ranked: Nebraska’s Matt Rhule (No. 27), Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (No. 30), Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald (No. 45), Michigan State’s Mel Tucker (No. 47), Maryland’s Mike Locksley (No. 49), Rutgers’ Greg Schiano (No. 50), Indiana’s Tom Allen (No. 62).
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The Spartans’ head man slid from No. 24 last season to No. 47 now, after his team went 5-7. He’s now gone under .500 in two of his three seasons on the job, after posting a 5-7 record in his lone year as the head coach at Colorado in 2019.
“Tuck fallin’,” Fornelli wrote.
Fornelli pointed out that there may be some bias in favor of the Big Ten and SEC due to the success of the two conferences.
“Seven of this year’s top 10 coaches come from the Big Ten or SEC,” he wrote. “The Pac-12 (two) and ACC (one) make up the rest of the highest tier. The Big Ten and SEC also account for more than half the coaches on the entire top 25 list (13) as the SEC leads the way with seven total.
“Is this an accurate reflection of the coaches or bias toward certain leagues? The top 10 may have some bias, but it primarily reflects what the coaches have accomplished and will likely continue to accomplish. After that? Well, I’ll share my thoughts as we go along, and I’ll let you form yours independently.”
Michigan’s head coach has the chance to rise again this season, with the Wolverines appearing to be a top contender to win the program’s first national championship since 1997.
