This is starting to get out of hand...
There has been some very public criticism of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh after his Wolverines lost to No. 2 Penn State 42-13 on Saturday night. ESPN's Paul Finebaum has been leading the charge, as he has always thought Harbaugh was a bit overrated since he was hired by Michigan. Harbaugh's $9 million salary makes him an easy target, and possibly even the right target with Michigan struggling a bit this season.
However, the latest jab from Finebaum was probably too much. During his show on Monday, Finebaum tweeted this graphic comparing Harbaugh's last 11 games to... Butch Jones at Tennessee.
Notice the turnover inclusion of random things like points per game and turnover differential specifically to make Harbaugh look worse...
Yes, both coaches are 6-5 over their last 11 games, but are we really making this blind comparison, Finebaum?
I get it, Michigan hasn't looked pretty in recent weeks after being hyped up as a Top 10 team. But losing their starting quarterback on a team that was already replacing 18 starters? It's not really responsible to take their performance this year, and use three losses from last season (by five total points at Iowa, at Ohio State, and vs. Florida State) to compare it to the disaster currently unfolding in Knoxville.
Tennessee's demise isn't just limited to blowout losses to good teams. Remember that 17-13 debacle against UMass? UMass was 0-5 after that game, and only got their first win this past weekend when they beat Georgia Southern. That was bad enough for Georgia Southern to fire their head coach.
Harbaugh is also in his third year, while Jones is in his fifth season and is completely responsible for all of his own players at this point.
So yes, Finebaum is right in saying that maybe the hype came too soon for Harbaugh. Going on and giving this lame and contrived comparison to Butch Jones, who is on the hottest seat in college football? That's just a bit too much.
