STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby says the school is close to completing a contract extension with football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Bowlsby said in an e-mail Sunday that a formal announcement of the new deal is expected to come shortly. The sides were close to announcing an extension after last season but talks were put on hold because of the poor economy.
Harbaugh is currently in the third year of his five-year contract. He has put the Cardinal (7-3, 6-2 Pac-10) into The Associated Press rankings for the first time in eight years, at No. 14, and has qualified them for their first bowl bid since 2001.