Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh comparison shows performance vs expectation

Nick Saban is one of only four active coaches to have won a college football national championship. Why do so many believe Harbaugh will be next?

Last week, Tom Fornelli listed his picks for the five coaches not named Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Swinney who will win a college football national championship. The full story is worth a read Coaches most likely to win a first national championship.

Fornelli chose the five most likely (from No. 5 to No. 1) as Jim McElwain; Tom Herman; Clay Helton; Chris Petersen and Jim Harbaugh. His honorable mentions were James Franklin; Ed Orgeron; Mark Richt; David Shaw and Kirby Smart.

It is a good list in most ways, driven as much by the schools they coach as by coaching acumen. The list is a bit tarnished, in our opinion, by the inclusion of Orgeron and Smart. The others are reputable choices, even with Helton, Herman and Franklin having much left to prove.

We cannot debate the inclusion of Jim Harbaugh on the list. What we question, no make that challenge is the nearly universal opinion that Jim Harbaugh should be the top name on this list or any other list. What has Harbaugh done as a college coach to warrant such esteem?

Here is a good graphic from the Finebaum show.

What Paul or one of his minions should have added to the graphic are Division titles. Nick Saban has nine. Jim Harbaugh has zero, nada, a goose-egg.

Finebaum’s salary numbers also need some tweaking. Take away signing bonuses and one-time deferred compensation payouts, Harbaugh will make $7 million in 2017 and Saban will make $7.125 million.

Given the disparity in accomplishments between the two coaches, we label the Saban deal “performance-driven” and Harbaugh’s deal as “expectation-driven.” Of course, Michigan is entitled to pay Harbaugh as much outlandish money as they choose. What we question is the soundness of the attendant Michigan Wolverines’ expectations.

Give Harbaugh credit for turning around both FCS San Diego and Stanford. Give him more credit for taking the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Beyond the Finebaum comparison, there are more reasons to doubt Harbaugh. Lars Anderson wrote an in-depth piece on Harbaugh in 2015. Get the full read here, Harbaugh and Michigan may not live happily ever after.

Quoting Anderson,

"with Harbaugh—a 51-year-old man prone to emotional swings, an old-school authority figure famous for his eccentricities, a professional vagabond who has never been a head coach anywhere longer than four years—we must ask: Will he push everyone in his program—from players to administration to janitors—to the brink of both physical and mental exhaustiion."

We can hear Wolverines grumbling now. “What about Nick Saban – he is every bit as driven and demanding as Harbaugh”? That’s a fair question. We’ll ask one in return. How many teams has Saban coached where the school or owner was pleased by Nick’s exit? The answer is none.

Not so with Harbaugh who was fired at San Francisco despite much onfield success. There are also reports that many in Stanford were relieved when Harbaugh left for the NFL. Consider this assessment from the Anderson piece,

"“Jim is nuts, but it’s a different kind of nuts,” said a former teammate of Harbaugh’s on the Indianapolis Colts who requested anonymity. “Once he focuses on something, he won’t let go of it. It makes him a great coach at a place in the short term, but it’s why he’s a disaster of a coach when he’s in one place too long.“You can’t even have long meetings with him because his mind will start to wander and you’ll have no freaking idea what he’s talking about. His personality and his weirdness wear people down over time, and after four, five years, you just don’t want to deal with the guy anymore.”"

Based upon the Harbaugh history, the former teammate’s assessment appears spot on. No offense to Tom Fornelli is intended. But, if Jim Harbaugh is the next coach to win a first college football national championship, I will kiss a Wolverine.

Next: 30 Great Crimson Tiders who were 3-Star recruits