Could Michigan, Jim Harbaugh part ways this offseason?

The University of Michigan has rallied around Jim Harbaugh and its football team after the embattled coach was suspended for the remainder of the regular season by the Big Ten just hours before the Wolverines faced fellow conference powerhouse Penn State this past weekend. It worked — Michigan ground out a cathartic 24-15 win over the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley, after which acting head coach Sherrone Moore told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft in a message directed to Harbaugh, “I love the s— out of you, man!”

That passion is not merely being played up for the cameras. FOX Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman told Colin Cowherd on Tuesday’s edition of “The Herd” that the situation has galvanized the program: “It really does feel like it’s Michigan versus everybody.”

Michigan acting HC Sherrone Moore’s emotional postgame interview

“It’s Michigan versus all the powers of the Big Ten,” Feldman added. “It’s Michigan versus its own conference commissioner Tony Petitti. It felt like, on the Michigan sideline [at Penn State] that it was Michigan against the Big Ten refs.

“You can say what you want about Jim Harbaugh and obviously the Connor Stalions subplot to this — which is probably more than a subplot — but I think the players and a lot of people there feel like they’re kind of, I don’t want to say caught in the middle of this, but you saw that emotion pour out. They are a dangerous team with Jim Harbaugh in the game or not because of the attitude they’re playing with, and now they feel like everybody’s piling up on them.”

Michigan players and coaches have responded emphatically, as have the likes of athletic director Warde Manuel and president Santa Ono in publicly rallying behind Harbaugh. But this united front could be tested even further if the revered head coach (and alumnus) flirts with NFL coaching opportunities for the third straight offseason.

“This is the longest Jim Harbaugh has ever been at a coaching job before,” Feldman noted. “He did…

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Publish date : 2023-11-14 23:08:22

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