Jim Harbaugh has been known as one of the best coaches in college football ever since he took over the Michigan Wolverines, but after a down 2017 season, his reputation has taken a bit of a hit - at least in the eyes of some national pundits.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli ranked the top 25 coaches in college football going into the 2018 season, and Harbaugh was only No. 18.
The run on Big Ten coaches continues with Harbaugh checking in at No. 18. That's 13 spots lower than where he was last year. I can't help but believe that Harbaugh fatigue plays something of a role here, considering all the attention he receives and the lack of significant results thus far. He's 28-11 at Michigan, but 0-3 against Ohio State.
Harbaugh was ranked No. 5 in the rankings last year.
After two straight 10-win seasons, the Wolverines went 8-5 in Harbaugh's third season, creating a bit of pressure on Harbaugh for the first time since he arrived in Ann Arbor.
Some fans have been critical of Harbaugh's record against Michigan's rivals. They're just 1-5 against Michigan State and Ohio State in the past three seasons, and those losses have largely kept them from being a major player in the College Football Playoff race (along with giving bragging rights to their hated rivals).
However, Harbaugh has an incredible track record of success during his coaching career and talked about rejuvenating the program this spring.
"I addressed the program," Harbaugh said. "Myself as a coach and the entire program. There was a lot of great things in our program, and I felt like taking those great things and keeping them. And then anything that was mediocre, I wanted to change it and make it great.
"That's been a lot of work. Been a process."
Michigan will open the season on Sept. 1 against Notre Dame in South Bend.
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