Michigan's Jim Harbaugh makes big jump in Sporting News' ranking of college football head coaches
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh was ranked by Sporting News’ Bill Bender as the ninth-best head coach in the country heading into last season. In this year’s edition of the rankings, he stands fourth, jumping up five spots.
Harbaugh stands behind only Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. All three have won multiple national championships. The top 10 is rounded out by Ohio State’s Ryan Day, LSU’s Brian Kelly, USC’s Lincoln Riley, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel.
Harbaugh was slotted No. 15 ahead of the 2021 campaign, but the last two seasons have him once again considered among the nation’s elite. He led Michigan to back-to-back Big Ten titles, two-straight wins over Ohio State and two CFP appearances. The Maize and Blue are 25-3 over the last two seasons and have just one regular-season loss during that stretch.
The 2021 campaign was a breakthrough, but following that up with a 13-1 record in 2022 proved Michigan is now on another level. Bender explained why winning the Big Ten for a second straight season helped lift Harbaugh up the rankings.
“Like [Clemson head coach Dabo] Swinney, it took Harbaugh time to get Michigan on track in recruiting, the Big Ten and the rivalry with the Ohio State,” Bender wrote. “It’s hard to argue with the results of the last two seasons. The Wolverines have won back-to-back Big Ten championships after consecutive wins against the Buckeyes, and Harbaugh has evolved in recruiting with the help of the transfer portal.”
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The next step for Harbaugh is to win the national championship, Bender noted. Michigan lost in the CFP semifinal the last two years (to Georgia in 2021 and TCU in 2022), and winning two more games than those seasons would signify stepping up another rung on the ladder.
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“Last year’s playoff flop against TCU also is on the record, and the remains on Harbaugh to break through for a national championship,” Bender wrote.
The Big Ten has three of the top 10 with Harbaugh (No. 4), Day (No. 5) and Fickell (No. 8). The rest of the league’s coaches are ranked as follows: Penn State’s James Franklin (No. 13), Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (No. 19), Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck (No. 21), Illinois’ Bret Bielema (No. 33), Nebraska’s Matt Rhule (No. 46), Maryland’s Mike Locksley (No. 48), Michigan State’s Mel Tucker (No. 49), Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald (No. 50), Indiana’s Tom Allen (No. 58), Rutgers’ Greg Schiano (No. 66) and Purdue’s Ryan Walters (No. 70).
Harbaugh is 103-46 overall as a college head coach, including possessing a 74-25 mark at Michigan. The Wolverines have the seventh-most wins in college football during his tenure (second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State’s 90).
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