Jim Harbaugh kept most of his answers short at his press conference on Monday, as he prepares for another edition of The Game. When asked explicitly about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, Harbaugh was reticent to say anything at all.
But he did make one thing clear -- he understands as well as anyone what this game means to Michigan.
"We're very aware of the rivalry, having played in it, having coached in it," Harbaugh said. "I grew up here. My dad was a coach. As I liken the Michigan State game to a state championship, this is even bigger. This is two states' championship — Michigan and Ohio.
"We're excited about it. Our feelings about it, if you're asking that, we're excited. My feelings, I'm excited for the game. Up for it and ready for the challenge."
Tangibly, Michigan isn't playing for a whole lot on Saturday. The Wolverines are out of the Big Ten race, as well as the College Football Playoff. But there's pride on the line, plus bragging rights, and maybe most of all redemption. Not just for last year, when Michigan was clobbered 62-39, but for the last 15 years during which Ohio State is 14-1.
Michigan enters Saturday on a four-game winning streak, including a 39-14 destruction of Indiana last weekend.
"We're confident," said Harbaugh. "Looking forward to today's preparation, looking forward to the game, looking forward to playing at home. Looking forward to every possible thing about it."
As for that embarrassing result in 2018, Michigan players seem split. Some have left it in the past, others are using it as fuel.
"We just remember that score, and we remember going in there and preparing and obviously not being happy with the end result," said defensive lineman and co-captain Carlo Kemp. "It's just something you think about when you're training in the summer and you're training in January, because you know this game was going to come.
"Now it's going out there and remembering that feeling and trying not to duplicate that."
Offensive lineman and fellow co-captain Ben Bredeson said, "We closed the book on last year. We know what happened, they know what happened, but last year's score isn't going to affect the game this year at all. We know what we did wrong, we know what we did well, and we're just looking to correct that."
That said, Bredeson acknowledged the Wolverines have been eyeing this rematch since the moment last year's game ended.
"I think we've focused on it every single day, he said. "Obviously we all know when this game was coming on the schedule. We were looking forward to this from the end of last year."
The craving for revenge is naturally stronger for Michigan's defense. They took the field at Ohio Stadium last year as the No. 1 defense in the country, only to be obliterated from start to finish. They've found their groove this year after an uneven start, and now they get another chance to prove they're for real.
"I just think we've grown from that," said Kemp. "A lot of the guys that played in that game are still here today. We know that feeling, we remember that, and we're lucky enough and blessed to have this opportunity to play them again and be able to go out there and perform at the level we know we can."
So, what would a win mean for Michigan, considering the way this rivalry has gone of late?
"It would be the state championship between two states," Harbaugh reiterated. "It always is."
