Jim Harbaugh has been a quote party machine as of late. First, there was the “open letter” he wrote to the college football community asking for progressive change on earlier NFL eligibility for high school and college football players. Then, there was his notion that Michigan is “on the cusp of big things.”
Just Wednesday though, Harbaugh provided even more captivating quotes to stir up the masses when he appeared on NBSN’s Lunch Talk Live with Mike Tirico. As almost any interview with Harbaugh does, it turned to his failures against Ohio State, and he didn’t hold back. Our friends at Wolverines Wire had the scoop on Harbaugh’s mindset and the reality of the situation.
“We’ve gotta beat Ohio State,” Harbaugh said. “Nothing makes us angrier than that, or me. That’s what we’re working toward every day. We’ve beaten everyone else, but we haven’t beat them. That’s what we have to do, beat them, win a championship, get ourselves into the playoffs, win a national championship.”
Jim Harbaugh: 'Nothing makes us angrier' than losses to Ohio State https://t.co/CmWis8RHK4
— WolverinesWire (@wolverineswire) May 20, 2020
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“Everyone else?” Okay. That may be true for most of the Big Ten, but we beg to differ. Certainly, Ohio State is the scarlet and gray-colored elephant in the Big House with an 0-5 record, but Harbaugh has won just one bowl game. His record against top ten foes is well-chronicled, and it’s not like he’s beating back Wisconsin and Penn State on a yearly basis. Still, there’s no denying he’s at least made the Michigan program better than when he arrived.
There’s also no denying that Ohio State is indeed the biggest hurdle for Michigan to clear on its way to Indy for a Big Ten Championship Game, and beyond. Dare we even mention the College Football Playoff?
Either way, it sounds like not being able to get past Ohio State is a sore subject for Harbaugh, and it’d be hard to disagree. The problem is that the gap seems wider than a bridge across the Pacific Ocean at this point. The games haven’t been anywhere near close the last couple of years, and Ohio State doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.
If nothing angers him more, just wait until the next meeting in Columbus. We know a few really superb anger management counselors we could send his way.