I had just landed back at Detroit Metro Airport, two days after Michigan’s 52-14 beating at the hands of Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, when I heard the news.

The Bring Jim Harbaugh to Michigan campaign had failed.

My heart sunk. Like many of us in Ann Arbor, I had tapped Harbaugh as the savior of the Michigan football program. I thought, like many did, that he would bring the Wolverines back to the Carr days, the Bo days — when Michigan’s coach was revered by all and the team was a regular in the Rose Bowl.

I hate the term “Michigan Man,” but Harbaugh felt like as much of one as I had ever seen — even if I don’t totally understand or agree with the buzz words.

Sure, there was no way Athletic Director Dave Brandon would’ve matched an offer like the Dolphins put out for him ($7.5 million per year) or even the one his eventual team, the 49ers, signed him for ($5 million). But without Harbaugh in the driver’s seat of the program, it didn’t seem like Coaching Search 2011 would turn out any better than Coaching Search 2007 did.

In the past few days though, replaying and re-reading all the qualifications Brandon listed in his press conference, I’ve eased into the idea that this coaching search doesn’t have to be a disaster. The Wolverines don’t have to hire an inexperienced coach, like San Diego State’s Brady Hoke, just because he’s a “Michigan Man.”

They don’t need to desperately seek out hot coaches like TCU’s Gary Patterson or Boise State’s Chris Petersen — either would be a good choice for coach if they weren’t so unlikely to pack up and leave their respective jobs.

They need someone who will unite the fan base, bring a defensive mind to the field, be a magnificent recruiter and re-spark rivalries with Ohio State and Michigan State, all the while putting the program back into the hunt for a national championship.

It’s a tough job, and Les Miles could do it.

Forget the grass-eating jokes or the boneheaded offensive calls or the “Mad Hatter” personality, Miles is a former Michigan football player who simply knows how to win. He’s got a national championship under his belt (having beaten the Buckeyes in 2008) and he builds teams that are absolutely ferocious on defense.

If you’ve seen any footage of LSU’s Patrick Peterson, you know what I’m talking about. Peterson is the closest a college football player has been to fully channeling Charles Woodson, and he’s a product of Miles’ defense.

Admittedly, Miles is a bit of a lightning rod when it comes to controversy, having been accused of oversigning and using grayshirts to get away with it. That’s not something that would help re-establish Michigan’s image as a clean program. But with the program already on probation, I can’t imagine Miles would be given any leeway to bend the NCAA’s rules. Brandon will make sure of that.

I also don’t buy the idea that Miles’ teams are “overrated.” Considering he’s 62-17 overall at LSU, with a 5-1 record in bowl games and a national title, I think it’s safe to say that Miles is either a good coach or has a deal with the devil — either of which should yield results for the Wolverines.

Michigan made the mistake of not going after Miles in 2007 when he could’ve offered a smooth transition away from Lloyd Carr. And this time may be the last time any disciple of Bo Schembechler will ever be able to coach the Wolverines. That may not seem important — I’ll be the first to admit that “Michigan Man” isn’t my first requirement — but if the Athletic Department has any hope of restoring some kind of hope in the Wolverines’ jilted fan base, Brandon will follow along.

He may not be Harbaugh, who became the hottest coaching commodity in recent memory. And he may not be perfect, far from it in fact.

But I have no doubt that if Brandon announces on Tuesday or Wednesday that Les Miles is the head coach of the Michigan football team, the Wolverines will have come out ahead in this whole drawn-out, drama-filled debacle of a search.

And maybe, just maybe, Miles will do what many thought only Harbaugh could do — bring Michigan back.