Jim Harbaugh’s suspension may not matter much, Big Ten coach explains
Published Jul. 26, 2023, 6:38 p. m.
By Aaron McMann | INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to football coaching suspensions, Greg Schiano knows a thing or two. The Rutgers head coach was defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2018 when Urban Meyer was sidelined for three games as part of the fallout involving assistant Zach Smith. Meyer was sent home for a full three weeks, forcing Schiano and the rest of the staff — Ryan Day was named interim head coach — to pull together for three games.
So when news broke that Jim Harbaugh could be in line for a four-game suspension from the NCAA following an investigation into the Michigan football program, Schiano had one important question for reporters huddled at Big Ten Media Days. “Is it a suspension for just the game day, or is it a suspension? Urban was out the entire time,” Schiano said. “Ryan was running the show and we were trying to help him, but it was (difficult) putting together everything.
” There were daily practices, the weekly task of having to prepare a game plan, and then actually executing it (Ohio State won all three games with Meyer out, beating Oregon State, Rutgers and Texas Christian) — it no doubt created more work (and pressure) for many on staff. And while the details of Harbaugh’s reported suspension remain unclear — most importantly, whether he’d still be allowed to show up for meetings and run practice — there’s a stark contrast in the two situations, Schiano pointed out. “If you’re a head coach and can still run your team during the week, and the only thing you’re not doing is running it on Saturday, it’s much less significant,” Schiano said.
“You’re going to get a team that is Jim’s team. ” Michigan, coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances, opens with East Carolina (Sept. 2), Nevada, Las Vegas (Sept.
9) and Bowling Green (Sept. 16) before Schiano’s Rutgers team travels to Ann Arbor on Sept. 23 for the start of Big Ten play.
Schiano says he hasn’t given much thought to the potential of facing a Michigan team sans Harbaugh, but NBC Sports’ Todd Blackledge — tabbed with helping the network cover Big Ten football this fall — overheard the conversation and agreed with the Rutgers coach. “It’s at a point in their schedule where if it’s the first four games, they could probably survive it better than any other time during the season,” Blackledge said. “You trust some of your veteran leader guys in the locker room to say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to let this sway us.
’ Because the talk out of Ann Arbor, if you talk to the players is — ‘We tasted the playoffs, we won the Big Ten championship, but we still got more work to do. ’ Blackledge continued: “I think they’re very focused and very determined, and if they have to deal with a suspension of their head coach for four weeks, they’re not going to let that derail what they’re trying to do. ” .