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Why Jim Harbaugh’s arrival at Michigan will benefit Penn State

By Tyler Waldrep

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Jim Harbaugh is expected to return Michigan to national prominence, but can Penn State also benefit from their conference foe making the best hire of the offseason?

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Everyone wants recognition, but in college football sometimes less really is more.

First year Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is tasked with helping the Big Ten return to glory. This season his presence on the sideline will help one of the Big Ten’s prominent teams return to power. Except that school’s mascot will look more like a lion and less like a wolverine.

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In recent years Penn State’s football team has survived a national scandal, the resulting sanctions and a pair of regime changes. With all of that going on it’s no shock that last year the Nittany Lions completed one of their worst seasons in recent memory, finishing 7-6.

Last year Penn State couldn’t win close games in league play, finishing with an abysmal 2-6 conference record. Coincidentally,  that also happens to be the same mark James Franklin’s Vanderbilt team hit in his first season as a coach. One year later the Commodores finished with a 5-3 conference record.

If Franklin can coach a program without any significant gridiron history to an extra three wins — in the rugged SEC — in year two, then what can he do with one of the Big Ten’s premiere powers? Three or four more wins in the second year seems like a realistic expectation, but Franklin’s squad doesn’t seem to be getting that type of national attention yet.

This isn’t just any season for the Big Ten. Jim Harbaugh is coming. Between Harbaugh and last year’s national championship winning coach, Urban Meyer, every other Big Ten coach has dropped out of the spotlight. Add in the high expectations for both Michigan State and Wisconsin, and Penn State has a real opportunity to start the season in relative obscurity.

Penn State won’t sneak up on the Buckeyes; (especially if the program is 6-0) but the defending national champs may be arrogant enough to underestimate fifth most talked about team in the conference. The Buckeyes deserve to be a clear favorite, but Penn State had them on the ropes last season until the refs bailed them out with a pair of blown calls.

Apr 4, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is seen during the Spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

No matter the outcome with Meyer, Penn State could coast until Michigan has to travel to Happy Valley the week before The Game. As good as Harbaugh is, it will be difficult to keep his team focused when Ohio State is up next.

All in all Penn State’s schedule sets up nicely for 10 or 11 wins, and not many are paying the program that type of attention. If Michigan State or Ohio State make the same mistake then the Nittany Lions just might win the conference.

This all might sound a bit far-fetched, but who thought Vanderbilt would have two consecutive nine win seasons? Harbaugh’s abrupt departure from the 49ers a mere two seasons after his Super Bowl appearance also seems crazy, and no one thought Penn State would survive the sanctions as well as they did.

Maybe a little far-fetched thinking is in order.

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