<p><a href=“The Economics of College Football: A Look At The Top-25 Teams' Revenues And Expenses”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2013/08/31/the-economics-of-college-football-a-look-at-the-top-25-teams-revenues-and-expenses/</a></p>
<p>According to the Forbes article, for 2013, Michigan football spent $23.6 M with $85.2 M in revenues. Michigan can afford Hairball. </p>
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You don’t like him because he made Stanford better at football than Cal. The guy is a flat out winner and he’d be a phenomenal representative of the University.</p>
<p>UCB, you realize that the name “hairball” has an endearing quality to it! 
Sort of Muppet-showish! </p>
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I have been known to be as critical as the Muppet balcony guys. :)</p>
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Nah, that was more Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart. Those 'furdies don’t bother me. </p>
<p>“I have been known to be as critical as the Muppet balcony guys.”</p>
<p>Too funny!</p>
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Those guys were recruited, developed, and led by Harbaugh when they were at Stanford.</p>
<p>UCB, I appreciate that Andrew Luck was very talented, but he was also developed. The problem at Michigan was not a lack of talent. Hoke was a great recruiter. The problem was talent development. The transition from HS to college football is significant, and Hoke (and his staff) did very poorly on that front, particularly on Offense. Our OLmen, RBs and QBs were all talented in high school. Technically, they had all the tools to excel at the college level, yet they did not. Ultimately, that is what cost Michigan many games…and Hoke his job. Harbaugh, on the other hand, knows how to develop talent, and given his success at Stanford and now as a coach in the NFL, he will be able to recruit with ease. Frankly, the Michigan-Harbaugh combo could be similar to the Alabama-Saban scenario. </p>
<p>One of the main hurdles to Harbaugh accepting the job seems to be cleared. It was said that his wife and children really want to stay in the Bay area. It turns out his children are either adults and living on their own, or under 10 years old and have no preference, and his wife is open to the move. His father and brother are reportedly both encouraging him to take the Michigan job. </p>
<p>It is my take that a guy making $5MM+ year can probably afford two homes. Clearly, commuting is not an ideal situation, but what is to militate against being dual domiciled?</p>
<p>Exactly what I thought…have 2 homes. </p>
<p>I’m betting that he takes the job…he can be the next Saban who is more well known and respected than most NFL coaches.</p>
<p>True. He could spend most of his time in Ann Arbor for the months of August-November, and most of his time in the Bay area the rest of the year. That being said, I have a feeling the whole family will move to Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>In early December, the general consensus was that Jim Harbaugh would not leave the NFL and return to Michigan. As the days past, and Hackett seemingly focused his attention almost exclusively on Harbaugh, it became clear that there was a chance, and the longer Harbaugh remained quiet, the more likely he was to be seriously considering the job. The final 49ers game of the season is on the 28th. Within 48 hours of that date, Harbaugh will likely be fired/resign. </p>
<p>Once that happens, the opposite is true. The further from the 28th we are without a decision having been made, the less likely Harbaugh is to accept the job. If he wants the Michigan job, his decision will be swift and should be announced within days…no later than January 2nd or 3rd. That’s primarily because many recruits have decommitted and Michigan currently only has 6 commits with a couple of them likely looking for other options unless a suitable coach is announced. </p>
<p>A couple of recent developments add to my optimism that we will land Harbaugh. </p>
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<li>The happy birthday tweet from Michigan. That was an official University tweet, so it carries meaning.</li>
<li>D. J. Durkin, ex-Defensive Coordinator at Florida has put an offer from Texas A&M on hold, presumably waiting for Harbaugh to make an announcement. Durkin is a good friend of Harbaugh’s (he was his Defensive Line coach at Stanford before becoming DC at Florida) and if he is thinking of taking of taking the Michigan job, he has probably already spoken to Durkin about having him join his staff. Durkin’s defenses at Florida was pretty dominant, ranking among the top 10 nationally in 2013 and 2014. He was let go because the new head coach brought his own team with him. </li>
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<p>Either way, we’ll know Harbaugh’s decision in the next few days. </p>
<p>Alexandre: You should go to Mgoblog.com for the latest up to the minute news. From what I have read there, it’s looking like Harbaugh should be making his announcement by Tuesday, at the latest. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks for the information rjk. Cool Blog. Kind of confirms my what I was reading on other sites. Tuesday makes sense. It could be a very happy new year! </p>
<p>Harbaugh would be crazy to not take the deal for the money he’s going to get.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is a good chance Oakland will match, if not exceed, Michigan’s offer. It will come down to what he really wants. Does he want to turn Michigan around, or does he want to stay in the NFL. To outsiders, it may seem like a no-brainer, but to those who are affiliated with programs like Michigan and Ohio State, the appeal of returning to your alma mater to turn it around can be irresistible. </p>
<p>He isn’t going to leave Michigan flapping in the wind after this long. It will be confirmed Monday and he will be introduced as Michigan’s head coach Tuesday.</p>
<p>Then it’s on to assistant coaches and recruiting</p>
<p>I agree wayneandgarth. Harbaugh’s silence has been deafening. It is very likely that he will make it official come Tuesday, and that his staff will be formed very quickly. It seems like the DC is already chosen (D.J. Durkin) and he probably already picked his OC. </p>
<p>Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I was probably wrong. I truly did not think Harbaugh would come. I (most likely) was wrong. </p>
<p>(But hey, I’m not <em>officially</em> wrong yet :p) </p>