Ohio State Winning National Title Is Worst Possible News for Jim Harbaugh

Ohio State’s playoff run has restored the luster of Big Ten football, but Urban Meyer’s third national championship victory has also amped up the pressure on Jim Harbaugh. The national storyline has shifted from Harbaugh’s glorious return to Meyer’s genius in overcoming the season-ending injuries of two quarterbacks while running the gauntlet of Alabama and Oregon to claim the national crown.

The coaching seat in Ann Arbor comes preheated, but Ohio State’s victory kicks up the temperature a few degrees and shrinks Harbaugh’s time table for turning the program around.

Prior to the game, Harbaugh said all of the right things on The Rich Eisen Show to promote conference unity:

"

I'm going to be rooting for Ohio State," said Harbaugh. "I'm a midwesterner. I was raised in Ohio, I went to Michigan, raised in Michigan as well. But for Big Ten football, for midwest football there's been a lot of talk about other conferences, etc , but I think it's just fabulous a team in our conference is playing in that game.

"

The win may be fabulous for the conference, but it could hurt Michigan on the recruiting front. Kareem Walker, a 5-star running back, who had told The Detroit Free Press that hiring “[Harbaugh] was a great move, I think he's going to be a college game-changer,” committed to Ohio State during the game.

"

Proud to announce that I will be furthering my education and football career at THE Ohio State University. #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/xLnEwFJJak

— Al〽️ightyReem (@_KareemWalker) January 13, 2015"

Any glimmer of hope that his positive comments about Harbaugh might lead him to Ann Arbor dimmed with his Twitter announcement.

The loss stings after previous Michigan commitment Mike Weber flipped to Ohio State last month.

As Harbaugh and his newly minted staff head out on the recruiting trail looking to salvage this class, Ohio State’s victory will make prying any recruits away from Urban Meyer even harder.

Long term, Harbaugh will also need to contend with comparisons between his rebuilding project and Meyer’s masterful run at Ohio State.

Season	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
2011	Luke Fickell	6-7	3-5
2012	Urban Meyer	12-0	8-0
2013	Urban Meyer	12-2	8-0
2014	Urban Meyer	14-1	8-0

Meyer inherited a team that staggered to a 6-7 finish in the wake of Jim Tressel’s offseason resignation. He took over a program humbled by NCAA violations that caused most of the 2010 season to be vacated and resulted in the 2012 team being ineligible for postseason play. Meyer rallied Ohio State to an undefeated campaign despite the bowl ban and was mobbed on the field as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan 26-21, finishing No. 3 in the final Associated Press season football poll.

Harbaugh takes over a team that finished 5-7 during Hoke's final season and was just the latest disappointment during a seven-season slide that began after the retirement of Lloyd Carr, whose last game, ironically, was a bowl victory over Meyer's Florida team. Michigan had its own minor dust-up with the NCAA prior to Hoke and is also dealing with a spat of recent behavioral problems. Hoke's swan song included the dismissal of defensive end Frank Clark, the alcohol-related arrest of lineman Graham Glasgow and the expulsion of kicker Brendan Gibbons prior to the season.

Harbaugh returns to a program that has been dominated during the last decade by its key conference rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State. Both teams are surging nationally and don’t appear to be declining any time soon.

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Michigan may have pulled off the best move of the offseason by bringing Harbaugh back to Ann Arbor, but Ohio State has dominated on the field.

As the windchill dips well below zero in Ann Arbor, the pressure on Jim Harbaugh will generate plenty of heat.

He has never shied away from pressure or the spotlight, and Ohio State’s victory only increases expectations for Michigan fans who believe that all of the key ingredients are now in place for a quick resurgence.

The Big Ten is back and the clock is ticking for Jim Harbaugh—Urban Meyer has set the bar, and now it's time for Michigan to respond on the field.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand

Follow @PCallihan