Does anyone else wonder what Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh did to deserve a raise?

I'm going out on a ledge here about Jim Harbaugh, a most popular fellow. It's not that high, and there's plenty of room for a mattress for me to land on. But I can't be the only one who's wondering:

Why is this guy getting a raise? Or, more specifically, why is the University of Michigan rewarding him once again for pledging undying loyalty to the Wolverines and then batting his maize-and-blue eyelashes at the NFL?

Big-time football coaches earn lots of money. I get that. The Wolverines have had two straight excellent seasons, and I grasp that concept, too. From where I sit — in front of a TV, ideally with a platter of chicken wings — football is entertainment, and he and his program have been entertaining.

However ...

A year ago, after he interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings, he told the Free Press it was a "one-time thing" and signed a sparkly new five-year, $36.7 million contract extension. Then in the past few weeks, he chatted with the Carolina Panthers and interviewed with the Denver Broncos.

We found out he'd opted to stay put in a cheery email from U-M President Santa Ono, who makes $975,000 per annum: “That is fantastic news that I have communicated to our Athletic Director Warde Manuel.” And then in short order came word that yet another new contract is in the works, because in college athletics, contracts were made to be rewritten.

It should be noted that it won't involve taxpayer money. The athletic department exists in its own fiscal pond, with the football program being the organism most everything else feeds from.

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As for the big fish, Harbaugh made $8 million this year, plus $2 million in assorted bonuses and undying gratitude for smoking Ohio State for the second straight season. Also for the second straight season, Michigan won the Big Ten and lost in a College Football Playoff semifinal.

The first time around, Georgia had better players. In last month's Fiesta Bowl, TCU had better coaching. Hey, it happens. If we weren't surprised sometimes, there wouldn't be much reason to watch.

So: Great season. Great wings. And now a new contract, reportedly with more money, more years, and a bigger buyout to protect U-M in case he decides to snuggle up to the NFL again.

If you own Block M sportswear for every occasion, you're likely thinking that the third-highest-paid college football coach in all the land deserves a payoff for a 13-1 season.

If you've ever had to honor a contract, you might be thinking he's already been taken care of. Isn't that what the $2 million in bonuses was for?

Close encounters

My closest connection to Jim Harbaugh isn't very. It came at a cash register.

Our younger son, whom we have never referred to as "the spare," worked at the Brooks Brothers store in Ann Arbor as a U-M undergrad. When Sarah Harbaugh decided her husband needed an upgrade from his semi-famous Walmart khakis, she bought a couple of dapper pairs and a stack of sweaters from our kid, and she was nice.

I do not begrudge the Harbaughs the ability to buy better pants. It's hard to climb the ladder to the University of Michigan, whether you're a chemistry professor or co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss.

Weiss made $850,000 last season, plus $400,000 in bonuses that he could take home to the $1.525 million house he lives in that was purchased in May by something called the Old Pro Trust.

I know that because the Detroit News got curious and poked through public records when Weiss was put on paid leave this month during an investigation into computer crimes at Schembechler Hall, the team's five-star headquarters.

It's the same month that defensive lineman Mazi Smith was sentenced to 12 months' probation for carrying a concealed weapon without a license.

And, it's the same month we learned the team has received what's called a notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding Level II recruiting and coaching violations by the program and an exponentially more serious Level I tag against Harbaugh for lying to or misleading NCAA investigators.

According to reports, the first part might be as benign as chatting with prospective talent during what's indelicately known as a "dead period." The second part might be as simple as Harbaugh telling the NCAA to buzz off.

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History suggests that it won't be anything sinister, by the often ludicrous standards of college football. But history also drops strong hints that today's darling might not be beloved by the end of a multiply-extended contract.

Maybe the trick is to being permanently adored is to pass up some opportunities.

U-M recruited Jonas Salk as a research fellow in 1942. After a good season or two, he became an assistant professor. Then he went to the University of Pittsburgh to run a lab and invented the polio vaccine.

He never patented the discovery and never wanted to make a nickel from it, but you can find his face on T-shirts — a pretty fair legacy for a guy who never even beat Ohio State.

Neal Rubin points out that when he recently changed jobs, he did not have a contract or an agent — and he didn't get signing bonus, darn it. Reach him at NARubin@freepress.com, or via Twitter at @nealrubin_fp.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What did Michigan's Jim Harbaugh do to deserve a raise?