Big Ten Daily (Nov. 24): The NFL's Stance on Jim Harbaugh

Every year, rumors circulate about Jim Harbaugh's interest in returning to the NFL. After being suspending six games this season, maybe the Michigan coach finally makes the leap.

Every year, the rumor mill begins spinning with speculation that Jim Harbaugh will leave Michigan for the NFL. So far, he's decided to stay in Ann Arbor.

This time, though, there seems to be a reasonable chance Harbaugh decides to leave the college game and give the NFL one more shot. Even the most optimistic Michigan fan would have to admit that.

Harbaugh has been suspended on two separate occasions this year, missing a total of six regular season games. Michigan imposed a three-game suspension on its coach for alleged violations dating back the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Big Ten slapped Harbaugh with another three-game suspension for the alleged sign-stealing scandal that surfaced during the season. Because of the conference's punishment, he won't coach in Saturday's game against Ohio State.

You know what league doesn't care about any of the stuff mentioned? The NFL. Prior to Thursday's Thanksgiving Day games, Fox's Jay Glazer reported that people across the league really have no issue with what's unfolding in Ann Arbor.

"All the teams I've talked to say regardless of what we hear in that investigation, that's not going to affect the way we look at Jim Harbaugh if he wants to come back and coach in the NFL," Glazer said.

That has to be appealing, right? Given the year he's endured — primarily by his own doing — would the 59-year-old really want to return to Michigan and potentially deal with the NCAA and Big Ten again? Or would he be better suited to take the leap and chase a Super Bowl ring?

Harbaugh has accomplished essentially everything he set out to do when he was named the head coach at Michigan. He led the Wolverines to two Big Ten Championships, defeated Ohio State twice and competed in the College Football Playoff. 

Maybe now, more than ever, is the best time for Harbaugh to return to the NFL.

Yes, we have this conversation every year. To this point, Harbaugh has decided to return to his alma mater. He's never been in water this hot before, though.

Without question, Harbaugh wiping his hands clean of the situation and saying, "I'm out," would be a cowardly move.

As much as it pains me to say it, that also might also be the smartest move.

Michigan State Falls to 3-3

Michigan State is doing it again. Every season, the Spartans seem to start off sluggish, giving us reasons to toss out words like, "overrated" and "disappointing."

Just keep in mind, Tom Izzo usually figures out a way to turn it around at some point in the year.

That probably doesn't give Michigan State fans much encouragement, though. Thursday, the No. 21 Spartans dropped to 3-3 after a 74-68 loss to No. 3 Arizona in the Acrisure Classic. 

The most disappointing part of Thursday's loss came in the final four minutes. Michigan State rallied to overcome a double-digit deficit and took a 66-63 lead on an A.J. Hoggard layup, appearing to take control of the game.

Arizona then went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 71-66 over the next two minutes and never looked back. The Spartans had their chances, but failed to close the deal in a big-time game,

Michigan State's record is ugly, without question. But the Spartans' three losses have come to teams that own a combined record of 16-1 (James Madison, Duke and Arizona). 

Plus, the non-conference struggles are nothing new to Michigan State. Through the first few weeks, maybe the Spartans aren't quite as good as we expected. We'll see if we're still singing the same tune in February.

Penn State, Iowa Stumble

Thanksgiving wasn't the best day for Big Ten basketball. In addition to Michigan State's loss to Arizona, Penn State and Iowa also suffered losses on Thursday.

So much for being thankful.

Penn State dropped an 89-77 contest to No. 12 Texas A&M in the ESPN Events Invitational. It was the first loss of the season for the Nittany Lions, who now sit 4-1. 

The Lions had no answer for Henry Coleman III and Wade Taylor IV, scoring 24 and 23 points, respectively. The Aggies also torched Penn State's defense, shooting a sizzling 59.6% from the floor.

This season, Penn State has scored 70 points in each of its first five games. But the defense must get better for the Nittany Lions to compete in the Big Ten.

Speaking of defense, Iowa continues to struggle on that end of the floor. That's nothing new for Fran McCaffery's program, which implements a run-and-gun tempo.

But the Hawkeyes' didn't shoot the ball well in Thursday's Rady Children's Invitational loss to Oklahoma. Iowa made just four-of-23 shots from behind the 3-point line and converted on only 35.8% of its shots from the floor. Pair that with 14 turnovers and it's a recipe for disaster.

Iowa has proven that, when it's shooting well, it can hang with anyone in the country. But if the Hawkeyes are missing shots, they're also capable of losing to anyone.

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