With a win last week over the previously undefeated Detroit Lions, Jim Harbaugh is making his case for NFL Coach of the Year in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers.

 

Harbaugh came to the 49ers from Stanford University, just a few months after he led the Cardinal football program to the Orange Bowl and a no. 4 ranking in the Associated Press poll to close out the 2010 season.

 

The Cardinal downed the Hokies of Virginia Tech 40-12 to win the post-New Years Day bowl game.

 

And while many thought Harbaugh would not be able to translate his success from college to the pro ranks, he has taken a once anemic offense and given it life, beginning with quarterback Alex Smith.

 

Before Harbaugh, Smith had seen a different offensive coordinator each of his seven years in San Fran, but the former college and NFL quarterback has opened many eyes around the league as to what he has accomplished through the seasons first six games, beginning with Smith.

 

Heading into the bye week, Smith has thrown 8 touchdowns to just two interceptions, a staggering statistic for most to see, considering Smith’s past. In his first two seasons, Smith threw 27 interceptions and has thrown 55 on his career.

 

While compiling a 4/1 TD-to-INT ratio, Smith has completed 100 of his 158 pass attempts for 1,090 yards and a quarterback rating of 95.2.

 

And as the 49ers are 28th in the league in yards per game, they rank 7th in points per contest with 27.8, including a 48-3 blowout over Tampa Bay in week 5.

 

The season began with Harbaugh squaring off against the Seattle Seahawks and Pete Carroll, a former opposing coach when Carroll was at the University of Southern California from 2002-09.

 

Before the season, the 49ers were predicted to finish last in the NFC West, a division that many called the weakest of the NFL.

 

Even with the first game just being the first of 16, Harbaugh and the 49ers came away with the 33-17 victory, thanks in large part to a 17-point fourth quarter and the special teams unit, led by Ted Ginn, who returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns, nearly outscoring the Seahawks himself.

 

Week two showed the 49ers how anything can happen in the NFL, taking a 14-7 lead into halftime against the Dallas Cowboys and a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

 

But the Cowboys scored 10 points in the final quarter, forcing overtime before leaving Candlestick Park and handing the 49ers a 27-24 loss.

 

Week 3 was a grueling match in Cincinnati, but the 49ers came out on top 13-8, a week before stunning the Philadelphia Eagles 24-23 after falling behind 23-3

 

The week 6 victory over the Lions was the most impressive, as the 49er defense, ranked no. 1 in the red zone held Detroit to 19 points while limiting what Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson were able to do.

 

Stafford did have two touchdowns, throwing for 293 yards, but Johnson, a.k.a. MegaTron, did not find the end zone for the first time all season, catching 7 passes for 113 yards.

 

In that contest, the Lions were ahead 10-0 after the first quarter, but the 49ers took a 12-10 lead heading into the half. The second half showed just how much of a grudge match this game was, as both teams settled for field goals in the third quarter, with San Fran heading into the fourth up 15-12.

 

But a Nate Burleson touchdown gave the Lions a 19-15 lead before the 49ers scored 10 unanswered, leaving Ford Field with the 25-19 victory while handing the Lions their first loss on the season.

 

Heading into the bye week, take a look at how Harbaugh has invigorated the 49ers through this point of the season, reeling off four straight victories for the first time since 2001 when San Fran went 12-4 before losing in the NFC Wild Card to the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers last won three in a row in 2006.

 

The defense, ranked 13th in the NFL allowing 16.2 points per game and a plus-8 turnover ratio, led by Vic Fangio, another former Stanford coach who also was the defensive coordinator with Carolina, Indianapolis and Houston before taking the same job in Palo Alto.

 

While it may not be just Harbaugh’s teachings transforming the 49ers into a top team in the NFC West, he is responsible for bringing in the majority of the coaching staff, including Greg Roman (Special Teams) and Fangio with him from Stanford, as well as a new mindset at Candlestick Park.

 

If the 49ers can continue what they’ve begun, win the division and the franchises first playoff game since 2002, when Jeff Garcia quarterbacked a 24-point comeback and a 39-38 victory over the New York Giants, then Harbaugh can fully expect to be added to the long list of recipients of NFL Coach of the Year.

 

Look for the home stretch of the season to be very interesting in San Francisco, especially when the 49ers take on the Baltimore Ravens and Harbaugh’s younger brother, John.