It's one thing to notice something, but it's an entirely different thing to place stock into it.
Michigan's late December hire of Jim Harbaugh's sent floods of positive thinking toward the Wolverines and their 2015 season. Beyond that, the belief is he'll bring the program back to respectability following three consecutive meager seasons under Brady Hoke. That, of course, is once he gets a few of his own recruiting classes under his belt in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"I don't really know how the fans feel about it. But I know as an Ohio State Buckeye, as a player, we're looking to continue to win against them, no matter who the coach is."– Adolphus Washington
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has a three-year jump on his new adversary in college football's biggest rivalry, as well as Big Ten and national championship trophies. The Buckeyes emerged victorious in 10 of the last 11 games against Michigan, including the 2010 battle that was eventually vacated due to program sanctions.
A fierce rivalry currently sits dormant under more than a century of gridiron conflicts, with Michigan still holding a 58-46-6 edge all-time despite Ohio State's recent dominance.
Harbaugh brings a fresh face back to his alma mater, though, a Michigan man who enjoyed success at both the collegiate level at San Diego and Stanford as well as the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
"Great hire," said Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry at Big Ten Media Days. "The competitive edge that he brings, the spirit he has, he’s going to bring a little different type of recruiting. Just the whole thing I think is going to be really good."
Perry's lone experience with Harbaugh is set to just be the 2015 season, but he's not the only Buckeye who is wary of the big-name coach's presence up north.
"It’s good for our conference, it’s really good for us as individual players to play against a team that’s performing at a high level because it’s good for competition," senior left tackle Taylor Decker said. "It’s just great for the rivalry."
Harbaugh's antics affront many, but the guy wins football games, as big a reason as any Michigan is excited he's returned home.
The enthusiasm — or Harbaugh Mania, if you will — is palpable nearly everywhere and Ohio State notices it, but that's about it.
"I think Harbaugh's a great coach. He had a lot of success when he was in San Francisco," senior defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said. "(But) we're more worried about beating them then who they got as a coach."
Added Perry: "Twitter told me that it changed the rivalry so I guess I’ve gotta go with Twitter there. I think it’s gonna be really good because you’ve got two really good coaches going at it, two interesting personalities going at it, two really good recruiters and two competitors."
Harbaugh was the hot ticket in Chicago.
Meyer and Harbaugh are both intense in their own way, with proven track records in their back pocket. That's why Twitter's been ablaze with Harbaugh Mania even though Ohio State won the 2014 national championship.
A lot is happening — and we're still a month away from the season kicking off.
"We monitor everything," Meyer said. "There is a buzz. I do check the Internet and see what's going on in this world and boom, there it is. It's real. How much real is it, I don't know, but it's real. It's our job to monitor everything that goes on. It's their job to monitor us, too. That's a real one."
Meyer's aware of Harbaugh residing at his most hated rival, as are his players.
"I really do hope that he kind of brings them back, not to kind of take anything away from them, but they’ve not lived up to the expectations of their program recently," Decker said. "I really do hope he does because that’s good for our conference, that’s especially good for our rivalry and it’s good for us."
Beyond that? The Buckeyes claim they aren't sitting around and worrying about it too much.
"I don't really know how the fans feel about it," Washington said. "But I know as an Ohio State Buckeye, as a player, we're looking to continue to win against them, no matter who the coach is."
