Michigan Football: How many wins will save Jim Harbaugh’s job?

Jim Harbaugh is entering the most critical season of his tenure at Michigan in which he must win now or else.

Since taking over the Michigan football program in 2015 Jim Harbaugh has compiled a 47-18 record at his alma mater, including a 1-4 mark in the postseason.

He’s winless in the most important matchup on the schedule and 3-3 against an in-state rival who isn’t making his job any easier. Throw in no Big Ten championships, national irrelevance, and a baffling contract extension after a shortened 2-4 campaign, and you have a recipe for catastrophic problems.

To shake things up Harbaugh brought in new coaches to revitalize the program. He’s also had to deal with an abundance of players who have decided to transfer out, instead of sticking with him through the thick and thin. Now he has to make do with what remains and prove that Warde Manuel made the right decision, just at the wrong time.

How many games can Michigan win?

Looking at the 2021 schedule there’s a reasonable argument to believe that Michigan football can start off 4-0 if it can knock out the Washington Huskies under the lights in week two. Getting through the first month unscathed will get some attention, but what the Wolverines do in October will make or break them before a savage November docket looms.

Opening October in Madison, Wisconsin only brings nightmares to how the Wolverines have fared in road openers over the years.

This time around may not be any different with the Badgers favored to win the Big Ten West, not to mention how they waltzed into the Big House last season and throttled Michigan football on primetime television.

Northwestern won’t be as lethal as they were in 2020, but it must not be overlooked by any means. Then to wrap up the month is a trip to East Lansing that Harbaugh cannot afford to lose. A best-case scenario would be to stroll into the closing month of play with a respectable 7-1 mark and a tormenting road for the penultimate month of 2021.

Payback will be on the minds of all involved in Ann Arbor with Indiana traveling to Michigan stadium this time around. Winning more than two contests in November seems impossible though. For Harbaugh and this group to change the course in this organization will mean that they have to win on the road at Wisconsin, Penn State, or most especially in Columbus.

A nine-win season would probably be enough for Harbaugh to keep his job in 2022. Anything less should vehemently not be accepted.

Nine wins are not and should not be the benchmark, but it’s a convincing step that Harbaugh can turn this run into a success after all the lowly depths that it has witnessed over the past decade and a half.