Ranking Jim Harbaugh? Michigan vs. Michigan State future? Wolverines reverse mailbag

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Thanks to everyone who participated in the reverse Michigan football and basketball mailbag. It was a fun way to mix things up and, more importantly, pawn off a day’s worth of work on my loyal readers.

Here are some of the highlights from your comments, interspersed with my own thoughts on Jim Harbaugh’s future, the direction of Juwan Howard’s program and the new-look Big Ten.

Jim Harbaugh was No. 4 on Bruce Feldman’s list of the top coaches in college football, and Stewart Mandel has him at No. 6. Is that too high? Too low? Make your case for Harbaugh’s spot on the list.

Many hours of sports talk radio have been spent arguing about whether Harbaugh is overrated or underrated as a coach. He’s been both at various times, but now that he’s vanquished Ohio State and established Michigan atop the Big Ten, it feels as though public opinion is leveling out.

“Harbaugh is a very good coach and maybe as good a fit for Michigan as there is in the game,” Brian A. wrote. “As for the specific rankings, meh. I don’t care about that stuff.”

Wrote Chris C.: “Harbaugh can be ranked anywhere from 4-8 with little quibble from me. Who really cares? While he’s a step below those who have capitalized big time, he’s done as much as any of the other guys over the last few years AND his career.”

If we’re talking about who’s performing at the highest level right now, there’s a case for ranking Harbaugh as high as No. 3 behind Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. If we’re projecting into the future, Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley might have an edge based on recent recruiting success. I’ll split the difference between Bruce and Stew and rank Harbaugh No. 5, one spot behind Riley and one spot ahead of Kelly.

There’s little dispute that Harbaugh is a top-10 coach in college football right now. He doesn’t have a top-10 salary, and he’s only going to fall further behind as coaches at the top negotiate new contracts. What’s your best guess as to what happens with Harbaugh’s contract this offseason?

Fans seem to be divided between backing up the Brinks truck for Harbaugh and letting him coach another year on his current deal, which will pay him $7.19 million this season, plus a $1 million retirement contribution.

Whatever Michigan does, most people agree that it would be nice to move past the annual contract drama. The contract Harbaugh signed last offseason already looks out of step with the market, and salaries are only going to rise once the new Big Ten TV deal kicks in. Whether it happens this year or next year, Michigan should be planning for the likelihood of another great season in 2023 and budgeting to pay Harbaugh accordingly. A deal that gets him to the $9 million mark while raising his buyout and adding some sort of rollover provision could make sense for both sides.

Putting Howard on the hot seat feels premature, but this offseason is a pivotal one if he’s going to get Michigan back on a winning track. If you’re Howard, what’s your offseason plan to fix Michigan’s woes? And if you’re athletic director Warde Manuel, what do you need to see next season to feel confident about the direction of the men’s basketball program?

Readers are pretty down on the state of Michigan basketball, and I suppose that’s not a big surprise. Playing in the NIT doesn’t sit well with anyone. I do want to push back on the idea that Howard has been recruiting the wrong players to Michigan, because I don’t think that’s the issue.

Suggesting that Michigan can fix its problems by recruiting worse players is a misdiagnosis of the problem. It’s easy to blame Jett Howard, Caleb Houstan or Moussa Diabate for not being everything you’d want a blue-chip freshman to be, but any coach in the country would take those players on the roster. If the argument is that Michigan asked too much of them as freshmen, I’ll agree wholeheartedly. But it’s not Jett Howard’s fault that Michigan needed him to carry so much of the scoring load this season.

Losing Houstan and Diabate after one year was a tough break. Michigan didn’t plan for Frankie Collins to transfer or Jaelin Llewellyn to get hurt. And, as Merve T. pointed out, this team would look a lot different with Terrence Shannon on the roster. Some of these things are beyond Juwan Howard’s control, but he also can do a better job of building the middle of his roster with players who can fill defined roles.

Michigan needs to hit the portal and find shooters who can space the floor around Hunter Dickinson or Tarris Reed. The Wolverines need defensive help, depth in the backcourt and experience, too. That’s a long wish list, but if Michigan brings back Dickinson and either Jett Howard or Kobe Bufkin, I could see the Wolverines being a factor in the Big Ten next year.

If you asked Manuel, I’m sure he’d say there are no ultimatums for Howard in Year 5. I agree with Kirk S.: If Michigan isn’t comfortably in the NCAA Tournament next season, it will be time for some tough conversations.

Rank Michigan’s top five NFL prospects in order, and make your prediction for where each one will land in the draft.

My rankings:

With Michigan more than two years removed from its last five-star commitment and quarterback Jadyn Davis still undecided, what’s your level of concern about the program’s ability to close with elite prospects? And what’s a realistic expectation for where Michigan’s 2024 class can finish in the overall rankings?

I agree with Benjamin B., who notes the outsized effect of NIL on the 2023 recruiting cycle as a factor in Michigan’s recent lack of blue-chip commitments.

“The massive pay-for-play paydays will slow down as boosters realize high-schoolers don’t instantly bring championships in football,” Benjamin wrote. “Michigan is positioned to have a consistent message and selling points through the transition.”

Bidding wars are still going to happen for elite high school players, but not to the degree that we saw in the early stages of NIL. The early returns on Michigan’s 2024 class, which is ranked No. 5 in the 247Sports Composite, suggest things are normalizing already.

Michigan should be able to get back to where it was pre-NIL, with top-12 classes built around four-star prospects and the occasional five-star thrown in. That’s an attainable goal for 2024, assuming the Wolverines can close the deal with their top quarterback target.

How important is it for the Big Ten to preserve Michigan-Michigan State as a permanent rivalry in the new football scheduling model? Would Michigan be better off playing Ohio State, Penn State and one of the L.A. schools once the Big Ten expands?

The takeaway here is that a lot of Michigan fans wouldn’t be heartbroken if the Michigan State rivalry takes a hiatus. Isaiah B. makes a case for including Minnesota as one of Michigan’s annual rivals rather than Michigan State, both for historic reasons and for competitive balance.

“The friendly rivalry piece is important,” Isaiah wrote. “The UM-MSU rivalry absolutely needs a cooling period.”

I don’t see any way that the TV networks would sign off on removing the Michigan-Michigan State game from the annual rotation. The storylines are too rich and the stakes are too high. The onus is on both programs to keep the competitive fire burning while cleaning up some of the dumb stuff that has marred the game in recent years.

“If UM doesn’t play MSU every year, then what’s the point of college football?” Todd B. wonders, and I agree. The Big Ten will need these traditional rivalries more than ever once the L.A. schools join the league.

What should the new Big Ten commissioner do with the championship game once the current contract is complete? If the game isn’t anchored in Indianapolis, which stadiums would you want in the rotation?

As expected, lots of votes for Ford Field here. More than a few Michigan fans would be happy keeping the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, too.

If you’re looking for a central location in the Big Ten footprint with easy logistics, it’s hard to beat Lucas Oil Stadium. As much as fans might enjoy the aesthetics of an outdoor championship game at Lambeau Field or another cold-weather venue, I don’t see it happening.

My plan would be to rotate the game among four or five NFL venues in states with Big Ten fan bases. Maybe Lucas Oil Stadium, SoFi Stadium in L.A., U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and the new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, with Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as an outside-the-box option.