Continuing our coaching debate series, let’s dig into the most storied rivalry in college football with two coaches at the top of their game.
The case for Harbaugh:
The coach in the khaki pants has won the last two head-to-head matchups between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes. And because of it, the Wolverines are picking up a lot of steam on the recruiting trail, most notably with the recent commitment from 5-star QB Jadyn Davis. The high-level play of the offensive line on a year-in and year-out basis is a great foundation for long-term success as well, and he has finally built up enough talent and depth to out-physical nearly every team they play. With consecutive CFP appearances, Michigan is truly back to being a true annual contender.
The case against Harbaugh:
Why does he keep flirting with the NFL? It’s an off-season storyline as predictable as Old Faithful. And while there’s staff churn at every program, the amount of turnover in Ann Arbor seems particularly high over the past couple of seasons, especially at the coordinator level. It hasn’t come back to bite them in the butt yet. But it will.
The case for Day:
He’s 45-6, with half of those losses in the postseason during his four-plus season tenure as head coach in Columbus. No team has a more reliably explosive offense in the country during that time, and no team produces more top-flight receivers. They can compete with anyone on a talent-for-talent basis, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that Day is an elite recruiter and has a staff of guys who are among the hardest-working recruiters in the country.
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The case against Day:
You have to go back more than two decades to find the last time that the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines in back-to-back seasons. And we know that the only thing that matters to the people around that program is beating the team up north every year. Additionally, the defense has not been able to make the strides they need to, especially in the biggest games.
The verdict:
Despite Day’s overall record, Harbaugh has the edge because of the head-to-head success in recent years and how that has reinvigorated recruiting. Day is a great coach, but it feels like, at this point, Harbaugh is the coach in control of this rivalry and the entire Big Ten.
