The Las Vegas Raiders-Los Angeles Chargers rivalry does not need much kindling in the first place. This AFC West rivalry will fold in one of football's coaching rivalries — Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Caroll.
The West feels complete again. Those two coaches have piled up success – and controversy – at the college and NFL levels. It started when Harbaugh took over at Stanford and challenged Carroll at USC. It continued with the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, and now it could transform the Raiders-Chargers rivalry. The winner will be 2-0 in the hyper-competitive AFC West.
"We've had some battles and we're about to have them again," Harbaugh said after the Raiders hired Carroll last offseason.
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The next one will have the Week 2 "Monday Night Football" stage, with the Chargers take on the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Sporting News looks at Harbaugh, Carroll and that rivalry that has produced some memorable moments.
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll NFL records
Harbaugh is 56-25-1 in his sixth season as an NFL coach – a .689 winning percentage that ranks eighth all-time among coaches and second among active coaches behind Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Sirianni.
Harbaugh led the 49ers to three consecutive NFC championship game appearances from 2011-13, and that included a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens – led by brother John Harbaugh – in Super Bowl XLVII. Harbaugh is 5-4 in the postseason. He led the Chargers to an 11-6 record and AFC playoff appearance last season.
Carroll is 171-120-1 in his 19th season as an NFL coach. Carroll is tied with Sean Payton for 17th in all-time wins and can tie Bill Parcells with a victory against the Chargers. He was 33-31 between stints with the New York Jets and New England Patriots before taking over in Seattle in 2010. The Seahawks made back-to-back Super Bowl runs in 2013-14. The Seahawks beat Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII and lost 28-24 to New England in Super Bowl XLIX.
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll records
HARBAUGH STAT CARROLL
0.689 NFL win% 0.587
5-4 Playoff record 11-11
1 SB app. 2
0 SB wins 1
4 H2H wins (reg.) 4
0 H2H wins (playoffs) 1
0.714 FBS win% 0.836
1 National titles 2
2 H2H college 1
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll: College records
Harbaugh compiled a 29-6 record at San Diego in the FCS before taking over at Stanford in 2007. He led the Cardinal to a 29-21 record in four seasons, including a 12-1 record in 2010 with quarterback Andrew Luck.
Harbaugh took over his alma mater at Michigan in 2015. He led the Wolverines to a 86-25 record in nine seasons, including three straight CFP appearances from 2021-23. Michigan finished 15-0 and won the College Football Playoff championship in 2023.
Carroll had a 97-19 record on the field at USC from 2001-09, a decade of dominance that included national championship runs in 2003, 2004 and nearly 2005 if not for a remarkable performance by Vince Young for No. 2 Texas in a 41-38 thriller at the Rose Bowl.
Harbaugh and Carroll both were part of scandals at their respective schools. Harbaugh was suspended twice during the 2023 season and he was given a 10-year show-cause penalty as a result of the Connor Stalions' sign-stealing scandal. Carroll was not given a show-cause penalty, but the Trojans were given a two-year bowl ban and vacated 21 victories from the Carroll era after being penalized for an improper benefits scandal involving Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll: Head-to-head record
Between college and NFL, Harbaugh and Carroll are tied at 6-6 in head-to-head matchups.
Harbaugh had a 2-1 advantage at Stanford from 2007-09. The Cardinal upset the Trojans in 2007 and again in 2009.
The NFL rivalry took off with San Francisco and Seattle. The 49ers were 44-19-1 from 2011-14 under Harbaugh. Seattle was 43-21 in the four-year stretch. The coaches were 4-4 against each other in the regular season during that stretch, but the Seahawks beat the 49ers 23-17 in the NFC championship game on Jan. 9, 2014.
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll: Best rivalry moments
Three moments in the Harbaugh-Carroll rivalry stand out above the rest:
Stanford 24, No. 2 USC 23 (Oct. 6, 2007)
The Cardinal were 41-point underdogs to the Trojans, but Harbaugh engineered a legendary upset with the help of a 10-yard TD pass from Mark Bradford to Tavita Pritchard with 49 seconds remaining. That improbable upset launched the Harbaugh-Carroll rivalry in earnest.
No. 25 Stanford 55, No. 11 USC 21
The Trojans scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter – including a 43-yard interception return by Richard Sherman – for a convincing blowout. In the post-game handshake, Pete Carroll and Harbaugh had an awkward exchange.
"He said, ‘What's your deal?' I said, ‘What's your deal?'" Harbaugh said later via The Seattle Times. "And then from there, it's about as well-documented a six-word sentence as there could be."
Seattle 23, San Francisco 17 (Jan. 9, 2014)
The Carroll-Harbaugh rivalry peaked in the 2013 NFC championship game. Richard Sherman – now against Harbaugh – deflected a pass intended for Michael Crabtree to Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith to seal the victory. We remember Sherman's post-game interview with Erin Andrews, too.
Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Carroll: Game results
Here is a look at the game results in matchups where Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll coached against each other:
DATE SCORE SERIES
Oct. 6, 2007 Stanford 24, No. 2 USC 23 Harbaugh 1-0
Nov. 15, 2008 No. 6 USC 45, Stanford 23 Tie 1-1
Nov. 14, 2009 No. 25 Stanford 55, No. 11 USC 21 Harbaugh 2-1
Sept. 11, 2011 San Francisco 33, Seattle 17 Harbaugh 3-1
Dec. 24, 2011 San Francisco 19, Seattle 17 Harbaugh 4-1
Oct. 18, 2012 San Francisco 13, Seattle 6 Harbaugh 5-1
Dec. 23, 2012 Seattle 42, San Francisco 13 Harbaugh 5-2
Sept. 9, 2013 Seattle 29, San Francisco 3 Harbaugh 5-3
Dec. 8, 2013 San Francisco 19, Seattle 17 Harbaugh 6-3
Jan. 9, 2014* Seattle 23, San Francisco 17 Harbaugh 6-4
Nov 27, 2014 Seattle 19, San Francisco 3 Harbaugh 6-5
Dec. 14, 2014 Seattle 17, San Francisco 7 Tie 6-6