Jim Harbaugh says Michigan’s given Ohio State sufficient preparation time for months

Michigan and Ohio State living their rivalry year-round is nothing new.

Ohio State has a “Team Up North Drill”, and Michigan has a “Beat Ohio Drill”. Both teams and fanbases always have one eye on the other.

In an interview on the Stoney & Jansen Show on Tuesday, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged that the team has been preparing for the Buckeyes for quite some time.

“We’ve really just given a sufficient amount of time to Ohio State every week and most on the team we’re playing, so there’s nothing that’s new this week,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh knows his Michigan team has a challenge against 7-3 Illinois this weekend, a program Harbaugh called “really well-coached” and “physical”, but Michigan will follow the same pattern they have all season long — prepare for their current opponent, prepare for Ohio State.

“It’s been a steady following, preparing for Ohio State for months now. Call it for what it is, it’s been a mix. We’ve been preparing for Ohio State and also the team we’re playing.”

Michigan players have mentioned the Buckeyes over the course of the season, they realize everything they’ve done leading up to The Game will greatly influence whether they beat OSU in Columbus or depart on the team bus with a loss.

“We try to treat every game like it’s Ohio State so we don’t take no games lightly,” Michigan cornerback Gemon Green said in September. “We prepare the same, we try to stay focused.”

Michigan vs. Ohio State are often on a collision course that culminates with everything being on the line for both teams. The Game is gearing up to be historic. Michigan stands at 10-0 and the No. 3 team in the nation, Ohio State is also 10-0 but ranked ahead of the Wolverines at No. 2.

Per DraftKings, Michigan currently has the second-best odds of winning the Big Ten Championship at +320, Ohio State has the best odds at -380.

Michigan and Ohio State play at Ohio Stadium at noon on November 26.

All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.