[jwplayer mtYv3XFQ-XNcErKyb]
Jim Harbaugh received some consternation last week when he appeared on Lunch Talk Live with Mike Tirico on NBCSN noting that ‘nothing makes us angrier than’ having not beaten Ohio State in his five-year tenure in Ann Arbor.
For Michigan fans, while it’s a welcome notion that Harbaugh is acknowledging the elephant in the room, other fanbases — particularly Ohio State — used it as an opportunity to knock the Wolverines head coach. Which is fair, given that OSU has bragging rights going back to 2012.
But, never one to shy away from a challenge, Harbaugh is still discussing his biggest failing leading the maize and blue, sharing his thoughts with 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello on his weekly show ‘Social Distance’ featuring various big names, particularly prominent coaches. While the conversation addressed his open letter to the football community and his love for khakis, Harbaugh was asked again about where Michigan stands in the rivalry and his thoughts on overcoming the proverbial Buckeyes hump.
“It makes us mad. I know people are mad about it, and we’re mad about it, too,” Harbaugh said. “They’re the only team in the Big Ten we haven’t beaten and we’ve gotta beat them. That’s what we have to do. That’s what motivates us. That’s what kicks us into high drive and that’s what we’re about and after every day.”
[lawrence-related id=24740,24732]
For Michigan under Harbaugh, as Marcello notes, the perception isn’t exactly reality. As the Wolverines headman said, his team has beaten every other team in the Big Ten save for OSU. It’s come close twice, in 2016-17, and though it was blown out in 2018, it still shared the East division title, as both teams had just one loss in-conference. What’s more, Harbaugh’s record in five years is 47-18 — a 72.3% clip, which puts Michigan with the 13th-best record in all of college football in that span, and 10th-best in the Power Five.
But, naturally, it’s not good enough because of the Ohio State woes.
Marcello asked Harbaugh about how close the maize and blue are in that regard to getting to the promised land, and Harbaugh noted that they’re close, but still not there yet.
“You can just look back at the last years that we’ve been here, the last five years,” Harbaugh said. “Been about as close as you can possibly be, but you’ve gotta put it over the top.”
For now, the team continues to be remote from campus, though the NCAA approved voluntary workouts can resume on June 1. However, the state of Michigan continues to be under the ‘safer at home’ executive order under Gov. Whitmer, which was extended last week from May 28 to June 12.
[vertical-gallery id=24009]