Michigan Monday: He Said, Jim Harbaugh Didn't

It's officially bowl game week in chilly Florida for the first time in two years and nobody really notices.  The talk of the town and the sporting world is who is the better NFL MVP candidate: Tom Brady or Mike Vick?  I think you know which candidate this blog supports!  Whoops, sorry I meant whether or not Jim Harbaugh will be Michigan's next head coach or not.

Harbaugh himself has basically only said that he hasn't talked with Stanford's AD about a contract extension yet, rumored to be $3 million a year.

"I haven't even discussed it," Harbaugh told the San Jose Mercury News in a story published Friday.   Speaking about the AD and the extension:  "Maybe he misspoke," Harbaugh said.

Those comments are the closest thing Jim has said regarding the Michigan job or any other job outside of his current one.  NFL insiders Adam Schefter from ESPN and Charlie Casserly from CBS both reported yesterday that sources are linking Harbaugh to Michigan.   I happen to believe Schefter because he is a Michigan alum and won't spread a rumor just to spread it.  I would expect that his sources have to be pretty solid to run with a story about his favorite college football program. 

Is it a done deal?  Maybe or maybe not.  An NFL job just opened up in his backyard last night with the the 49ers.  Would Harbaugh be more interested in that job?  Who knows, but it would seem like he might.   

Not too many college coaches have been successful in transiting to the NFL.  The last one most can remember is Jimmy Johnson.  With that said, Harbaugh was in the NFL for many years and I think his brother John, the Baltimore Ravens coach, could give him some pretty good advice.  So Harbaugh isn't exactly high risk (compared to other college coaches) when it comes to an NFL job.

I guess we will have to see how this one plays out next week. 

Funny Story:  We drove down to Florida last night and staying in Orlando for a couple of days before heading to the Gator Bowl.  We pulled up to the hotel in Orlando today to find the Spartans are staying here.  They are running all types of plays in the ballrooms due to the cold weather.   I'm getting a few strange looks in my Michigan gear.

Speaking of cold weather and getting to Florida: