Jim Harbaugh: Breaking Down His Coaching Options for 2011

Jim Harbaugh has found himself in what any football coach would consider the ideal situation.

With an NFL resume to pull from, the Stanford head coach has taken the Cardinal from a 4-8 team going nowhere in 2007 to an 11-1 campaign and an Orange Bowl bid this season.

Stanford wants to keep him—and certainly extend his contract—and a host of NFL teams primed for a coaching change would love for Harbaugh to bring his services to sidelines at the next level. And, with things not going as well for Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, Harbaugh is gaining much interest from the people in Ann Arbor, where he quarterbacked the Wolverines.

It was reported earlier this week by the Associated Press that Stanford had made a pre-emptive offer to Harbaugh, hoping to sweeten the head coach's deal before any other schools or NFL teams came calling.

With the action already started, one has to wonder which option would be best for Harbaugh.

On the surface, each and every option looks great—a win-win-win, if you will. But that's not the reality of the situation. Each potential spot for Harbaugh moving forward has its pros and cons.

If Harbaugh were to stay at Stanford, there's a certain comfort factor that just can't be ignored. Harbaugh has spent the last four years in Stanford and has turned the program completely around. The year before Harbaugh took the job, the Cardinal went 1-11. This year, they're 11-1 and in a BCS bowl.

The package that Stanford has promised Harbaugh certainly can't hurt. Money, of course, makes any situation better. And it's reported that Stanford has already offered to up Harbaugh's $1.25 million contract.

Of course, Stanford does have its "problems." The Cardinal faithful haven't necessarily turned out in groves to support their football team during Harbaugh's tenure. In fact, they managed to fill just 80 percent of Stanford's 50,000-seat stadium this season.

While fan interest may not seem like a deciding factor in Harbaugh staying at or leaving Stanford, it's well representative of the fact that the school lacks a certain football swagger other schools possess.

With Rodriguez all but fired from Michigan, Ann Arbor is another obvious potential location for the former Wolverines quarterback.

If Harbaugh were to return to Michigan, he would do so with what's expected to be a rather warm welcome. He played on two of the best teams in program history and would be replacing a coach that has struggled throughout his tenure—two things that would make the Wolverines' rabid fan base smile.

But there's also a certain expectation at Michigan. While a coach with NFL playing experience like Harbaugh may thrive in the pressure cooker that is Michigan and Big Ten football, we've seen what it can do to an otherwise talented head coach.

The final option for Harbaugh, of course, is the NFL, where he played 15 seasons for the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers. He was a successful quarterback in the NFL, but would that success translate as a head coach?

As we've seen so many times before, it's a flip of the coin. We've seen successful college coaches thrive at the next level and we've seen them flop. Given Harbaugh's knowledge and otherwise calm demeanor, he could have what it takes to succeed as a head coach in the NFL.

It has been reported that the San Francisco 49ers are already interested in his services and given the proximity to Stanford, it may be a good option.

At the very least, coaching in the NFL can provide one thing that he won't get at the collegiate level. And that's money, lots and lots of money.