STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Michigan’s chance at the College Football Playoff disappeared in a monsoon against Michigan State three weeks ago. Its shot at the Big Ten title disappeared Saturday night in a white out in Happy Valley.

There, at Beaver Stadium, in the hills of central Pennsylvania, the Wolverines got exposed 42-13, and should now start playing for next year. Oh, not technically, of course. But spiritually. At least inside the head coach’s office.

Because Jim Harbaugh has to win in 2018. Not for job security. Don’t be silly. You don’t fire deities.

But for reputation. For credibility. For a yearning fan base’s equanimity.

For a chance to sing “leaders and the best.”

Without irony.

I get it, none of this is fair. Expectation can be cruel. Free of facts. Devoid of context. Fodder for the second-guessers and would-be experts foaming out of the corner of their mouths.

You know, like me.

Except I’m not foaming. I’m just comparing. As should you.

Because the Harbaugh worship has to stop.

It’s true that he’s a good coach, and has been a great coach, and is building — or rebuilding, for the romantics — the football program at the University of Michigan.

It’s also true that he will make $7 million this year. More than every college football coach but one — Nick Saban. That salary tops Urban Meyer, who’s won national titles at Ohio State and Florida, and Dabo Swinney, who’s won a title at Clemson.

As for Saban?

He’s won five. Though it’s not the number that’s important. It’s that he won his first at Alabama in his third year. Just as Meyer did in Columbus.

Harbaugh, obviously, isn’t going to match them. Even though he’s paid like them.

Which brings us back to expectation and what happened Saturday night at Penn State, where I thought — cough, cough — the Wolverines’ defense would make it a fourth-quarter game and John O’Korn, the oft-maligned quarterback, would make just enough throws.

Well, he did, in what turned out to be his best performance of the season. It just didn’t mean anything. Because just about everyone else struggled.

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The offensive line couldn’t protect, especially on the outside. The receivers couldn’t get open. The running backs couldn’t find enough room to run.

On defense, the safeties floundered in man-to-man coverage. The linebackers got burned chasing Saquon Barkley — Penn State’s Heisman-caliber running back. The lineman couldn’t get to the Nittany Lions’ quarterback, Trace McSorley, fast enough.

“We played a great team and got pounded in the mouth,” said Karan Higdon, who starred a week ago at Indiana but found just 45 yards of green Saturday night, and needed 15 carries to find it.

Higdon and O’Korn and a few of their teammates got to talking about that fact late in the fourth quarter, as the white-out crowd stood and swayed and sang along to Tom Petty and Neil Diamond, the sort of boilerplate stadium classics meant to heighten the revelry.

As the U-M players listened, or tried to block it out, they discussed the possibility of repeating Penn State’s late-season run a year ago. A team U-M walloped in Ann Arbor.

“I thought that was one of the worst Penn State teams I’d ever seen,” said O’Korn, “and they went on and should’ve won the Rose Bowl.”

You have to admire his optimism. He’s a senior, and fighting for his legacy. Not to mention his future. Like whether he remains the starter.

If the goal is still to win every remaining game then O’Korn is this season’s best option.

But … next year.

Most of the starters are young. All but one defensive starter returns. Everyone would benefit if they didn’t have to break in yet another quarterback.

And so, Harbaugh’s got a dilemma: How to balance the (changing) goals of this season against the promise of the future. Because the future will be here quick.

Two months ago, the speed and skill in Ann Arbor looked tantalizing. Saturday night, it looked overmatched.

“We had our difficulties,” said Harbaugh.

And will continue to have them until offensive line gets tougher and the receivers get craftier and the next quarterback gets a chance to plant some roots. The U-M coach has a lot of work left. Under an increasingly unforgiving spotlight.

As he told his team after the game: “We know the fake love is gone. There’s no bandwagon. It’s us.”

Actually, coach, it’s not fake love. It’s unrequited love. And it’s never just about “us.”

It’s also Alabama and Ohio State and Clemson and Oklahoma, and any other program that pays its coaches millions and millions of dollars to win.

And then win some more.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.

A previous version of the story listed an incorrect 2017 salary for Jim Harbaugh.