Michigan misses Jim Harbaugh as Texas pummels Wolverines before Chargers' opener

Jim Harbaugh is about to make his return to the NFL as the LA Chargers host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 on Sunday. Harbaugh's return to the NFL is one of the biggest storylines in the league this season as he is coming off a dominant (and somewhat controversial) tenure with the University of Michigan.

Harbaugh did not come to the Chargers alone. The former Wolverines head coach brought two notable members of his staff with him: defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. Both Minter and Herbert will play key roles in the Chargers' success, much like they did at Michigan.

Former offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore replaced Harbaugh as the head coach at Michigan and it took two games for the Wolverines to show how big of an impact Harbaugh had. After a less than impressive win over Fresno State that was way closer than it had any right being, No. 10 ranked Michigan got walloped by No. 3 ranked Texas in Week 2, losing 31-12.

Michigan clearly isn't the same after losing Jim Harbaugh to Chargers

Granted, there are a lot of factors that played into Michigan's loss on Saturday. In addition to losing Harbaugh, the team also lost 13 key players from last year's National Championship squad to the NFL Draft. That makes a difference.

Texas is also in the conversation for being the best team in the country and was favored heading into this matchup. Even at home, Michigan was projected to lose as home underdogs.

However, it does not change the fact that the game was never really even competitive. The Wolverines were able to stop the bleeding and get a fourth-quarter score to make the game look closer than it was but overall, Texas dominated this matchup.

It is going to take time for Michigan to return to being the same powerhouse team that it was in 2023 with Harbaugh. In fact, there is a very real possibility that Michigan won't regain that form anytime soon. After, all the entire reason Harbaugh went to Michigan was to save a program that lost its luster.

Michigan fans may not have any National Championship aspirations to root for in 2024 but those who do not have a professional football team can follow Harbaugh and root for the LA Chargers.

The Chargers may not have a great chance at winning the Super Bowl in Harbaugh's first year as head coach but the team probably won't lose a home game in as ugly of a fashion as Michigan did on Saturday.