Most observers believe Jim Harbaugh entered the 2021 season on the hot seat at Michigan.

After starting 7-0 and jumping to 6th in the AP Poll, however, many of those same observers were wondering if this might be the year the Wolverines would finally contend for a national championship.

On Saturday, Harbaugh and Michigan looked the part for the better part of 3 quarters at Michigan State.

The Wolverines held a 30-14 lead before the Spartans stormed back for an improbable 37-33 victory that moved them to 8-0 and firmly into the College Football Playoff discussion.

One observer who was not surprised by Saturday’s outcome was college football analyst and radio personality Paul Finebaum, who had some harsh words about Harbaugh on SportsCenter on Sunday morning.

“Well, what’s so remarkable about this story is that when he was hired from the NFL to be the head coach at Michigan, many of us thought he would become one of the top coaches in the entire country,” Finebaum said laughing. “Now, today, after what happened yesterday in East Lansing, he’s not even the best college football coach in the state of Michigan. That’s how far he has fallen.

“Nobody in college football history has ever blown more big games than Jim Harbaugh, but he’s still employed, and Michigan is stuck with him for now.”

The Wolverines, in spite of the loss, will still have their chances to make it a memorable season, especially if they can finally beat Ohio State at home to end the regular season.

More losses, however, especially another to the Buckeyes, would almost certainly leave Harbaugh in a tenuous position.

Michigan has lost 8 consecutive games to Ohio State and Harbaugh is 0-7 in the series.