Who Is To Blame For Michigan’s and Penn State’s Poor Seasons?

By Oren Ramer ‘22
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    The Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions are two Big Ten football teams who historically have been powerhouses. As recently as last season, they had a combined record of 20-6. However, at press time their combined record is nowhere near that past success. 

    The apparent excuse is the unconventional season and general uncertainty both teams have experienced due to the ongoing pandemic. While these are easy excuses as to why the two historic programs are having abysmal seasons, there is more to it. Michigan and Penn State are not the only teams that have had to deal with the pandemic, and teams such as Wisconsin, Northwestern, Indiana and Ohio State have completely outperformed them.
Michigan and Penn State have enjoyed the top three recruiting classes in the Big Ten every year since 2017, so a lack of talent should not be an issue. If extenuating circumstances and lack of sufficient talent are not the reason for the teams’ problems, the only thing left to investigate is the coaching staff.
    Jim Harbaugh, the head coach at Michigan, was a high-profile hire when he signed a massive seven-year contract averaging $7.5 million per year with the program in December 2014. Harbaugh actually played quarterback at Michigan, and after retiring from the NFL, he became a coach and eventually reached the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.
Reminiscent of the eighties and nineties, Harbaugh was hired to turn the program around to compete for national championships. However, the Wolverines have yet to make the Big Ten championship during Harbaugh’s tenure, let alone a national championship.
Most importantly, Harbaugh has not won against the Wolverines’ archrival, Ohio State. Since Harbaugh joined the team, the Wolverines are 0-5 against the Buckeyes, with the average margin of loss a whopping 19 points. In the eyes of long-time Michigan fans, this is unacceptable.
    While many fans of the Wolverines would like to fire the underperforming coach, this decision would not be financially smart for Michigan. After this year, Harbaugh has only one year left on his contract, with a $10 million buyout. With the entire athletics department taking big financial hits due to the pandemic, buying out the football coach for $10 million  is not a feasible option.
James Franklin was hired by Penn State in January of 2014, one season before Harbaugh. Franklin has had more success than Harbaugh, as he has one Big Ten championship and one win against Ohio State since he became the head coach. Additionally, Penn State is not quite on the same level as Michigan historically,although still a very prestigious program, so expectations for Franklin were not as high.
    Nonetheless, a 1-6 record against your biggest rival is lousy, and the Nittany Lions have yet to reach the College Football Playoff under Franklin. After an 0-4 start to the 2020 season, fans are calling for Franklin’s job. However, similar to Harbaugh, Franklin has a massive buyout.
In fact, it is even more difficult for Penn State to fire Franklin than it is for Michigan to let go of Jim Harbaugh because of Franklin’s new contract. Franklin is owed at least $38 million over the next six years after his new deal that was signed back in February. For Franklin to be fired, Penn State would have to pay him the $38 million that was initially guaranteed, as he is still in the first year of the new contract. Due to the pandemic, this is not reasonable.
    Fans of Michigan and Penn State have good reasons to blame their coaches for the teams’ abysmal starts to the 2020 season. Although moving on from Franklin and Harbaugh will allow the teams to look towards the future of the program, firing these big-name hires would not be financially smart. Fans of these historic Big Ten programs who hope for a change will likely need to be patient until they can move on to a new era.