When Urban Meyer retired after last season, it was a good thing for Jim Harbaugh. In four games against Harbaugh, Meyer's Buckeyes never lost.
Now, with Meyer out of the picture, Michigan is considered the favorite to win the Big Ten.
Asked about Meyer's retirement on a podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Harbaugh acknowledged his rival's long track record of success -- while also taking a dig at his speckled past.
"Urban Meyer has had a winning record, really phenomenal record everywhere he's been," Harbaugh said. "But also, controversy follows everywhere he's been."
Harbaugh isn't wrong.
The latest controversy surrounding Meyer came up last year when he was suspended for the first three games of the season after it was alleged he overlooked domestic violence claims against former assistant coach Zach Smith.
And during Meyer's six-year stint at Florida, several of his players were arrested or charged with crimes.
Of course, winning has a way of making things shine.
Over 17 years as a head coach, Meyer went 187-32 and won three national championships. That includes a record of 83-9 over seven years at Ohio State.
In his first four seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh hasn't had quite the same level of success. Though the Wolverines have won 38 games and frequently been ranked within the top 10, they haven't won the Big Ten or made the College Football Playoff. And they haven't beaten Ohio State.
Asked if there's a frustration with his inability thus far to take Michigan over the top, Harbaugh said, "You welcome the accountability, that all you can be judged on is your record. What you record is overall, what your record is within your conference and what your record is in head-to-head matchups with the other teams that you play. I think you'll find that right now, Ohio State is the only team that has a better record than us, has a better conference record than us and has the better overall head-to-head matchup with us.
"We talk about the goals that we have, and we have two: win multiple championships and run a first-class program. That's what we aspire to. We're learning. You take accountability and you learn from it. Hope springs eternal. We're fired up for this season moving forward. It's been good and now we want to take it over the top."
