After it was revealed that Michigan would be suspending Jim Harbaugh for three games, it was not known who would be replacing him during those games.
For the game against Eastern Carolina, Jesse Minter will be coaching the team. In their Week 2 contest against UNLV, the school will have a different coach for each half. In the first half, Jay Harbaugh will be coach the team. Meanwhile, Mike Hart will coach the second half.
In the final game of Harbaugh's suspension, Sherrone Moore will coach the team against Bowling Green.
Will the Michigan Wolverines be on upset alert without Jim Harbaugh?
The short and obvious answer to this question is that Michigan will not be on upset alert for the first three games of the college football season. It would be very surprising to see the No. 2-ranked school in the country lose to teams that they pay to play against. In all reality, these games should be over by halftime.
Even if Michigan did not have a roster that has enough talent to end up in the college football playoff, J.J. McCarthy has the experience necessary to lead this offense.
Harbaugh was suspended due to making false statements when NCAA officials were looking into recruiting violations during COVID-19. While he might not have been suspended for the entire season, he could have missed some of the Wolverines' in-conference schedule. In all reality, the first opponent that should give them a minor challenge is Minnesota.
Pending an unlikely huge first-year turnaround from a newly-hired coach Matt Rhule and transfer QB Jeff Sims, Michigan shouldn't face a real challenge until they reach the Gophers. The Gophers ought to be competitive with P.J. Fleck in charge.
Having Harbaugh back in early conference play should make sure that Michigan is able to stay on course in its chase for a national title.
