Harbaugh Knows This One Is Different: 'You Just Sense It'

If the Michigan State Spartans wanted the full attention of the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines, they certainly have it.

In what is probably one of the most underrated rivalries in all of college football, No. 4 Michigan and Michigan State (unranked) will clash at the Big House on Saturday night in primetime. While the Spartans are looking to salvage what's left of an awful 3-4 start to the season, the Wolverines are once again on a pathway toward Indy and beyond. 

Before that can happen, however, Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines must take care of business on Saturday night - and do so convincingly. 

Although the Wolverines typically enter the game as the favorite year in and year out, the Spartans have found a way to make life difficult for the folks in Michigan over the better part of two decades. In fact, the Spartans hold a 6-4 advantage over the Wolverines throughout the last ten meetings, including the last two straight under current head coach Mel Tucker. 

For U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh, it would be easy to take the "next game is the most important game" approach with the media, but that's not what he's doing. Not this week. During his interview on Inside Michigan Football with Jon Jansen, Harbaugh admitted that this one is different. 

“You just sense it, know it," Harbaugh said. 'It’s a big game. And everyone knows it. Everyone wants to win. Coaches on both sides. Players on both sides. It’s the kind of game that makes or breaks your season.”

During Mel Tucker's first year as head coach with MSU, and with the Wolverines pegged as a 21.5 point favorite, the Spartans marched into Michigan Stadium and left with the Paul Bunyan trophy in-hand. When the two programs met again in 2021, the Spartans retained possession of the Paul Bunyan trophy by knocking off the Wolverines - and did so once again as the underdog. 

It sounds like those two losses have really stuck with Harbaugh and his team, and now the Spartans have the full attention of the Michigan Wolverines. 

“No one has watched the highlights or film of that game more than we have," he said. You really want to know them. Master what they are doing so you can use it against them. In every aspect, getting as prepared as possible.

"Everybody wants it so bad. Everybody wants to win; players, coaches, fan bases, it's about as high level as it can be. Our guys really want to win this, I'm not going to lie to you."