Jim Harbaugh just couldn’t help himself after a relatively quiet offseason.
The out-spoken Michigan head coach has kept pretty much to himself and not followed through with some of the antics he has typically saved up to keep the Wolverines in the headlines in recent years. There’s been no shirtless strolls through summer camps or celebrating commitments in pools.
But right as Big Ten Media Days kickoff in Chicago this week, the coach is back in the news for comments he’s made about an opponent. Appearing on Bay Area journalist Tim Kawakami’s podcast that was released on Thursday, Harbaugh waded into choppy waters when asked about a former coach he never seemed to beat at a rival Big Ten university.
“Urban Meyer’s had a winning record, really a phenomenal record everywhere he’s been,” said Harbaugh. “But also, controversy follows him everywhere he’s been.”
He’s not wrong, to be fair, given incidents at Ohio State and Florida over the years. But given the animosity between the two programs and the two men themselves on and off the field, it’s not hard to see the remarks as a bit of a shot at the out-going rival who is now in the interesting position of commentating on Michigan games for Fox’s new pre-game show.
Harbaugh was at least realistic about how he’s being judged by that 0-4 record against Meyer and the Buckeyes, especially in light of last year’s disastrous 62-39 outing in Columbus and the pressure to not only beat Ohio State, but win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff like many predicted when he was hired.
“We welcome the accountability,” Harbaugh added. “You’re judged on your record. What your record is overall, what it is in the conference and what it is head-to-head against other teams. I think Ohio State is the only team that has a better record overall, a better conference record than us and head-to-head matchup against us.”
It was already going to be must-see TV when UM and OSU got together on the last Saturday in November but something says these comments will make the pre-game show for that game even more interesting.