Following a shutout victory, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan relish the Big Ten title.

Following a shutout victory, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan relish the Big Ten title.

Following a shutout victory, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan relish the Big Ten title.© Image by ESPN

Late on Saturday night, Jim Harbaugh hugged his wife and kids close to midfield, took pictures with them, and shook hands with Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti—the man who suspended the Michigan coach for three games last month—on a podium.

At Lucas Oil Stadium, Harbaugh strolled the Wolverines sidelines for the first time since November 4th, when No. 2 Michigan defeated No. 16 Iowa 26-0 to win the Big Ten title for the third time in program history. In addition to recording the second shutout in Big Ten championship game history—after the 2014 Ohio State squad, who blanked Wisconsin 59-0 and went on to win a national championship—Michigan became the fifth team in FBS history to begin consecutive seasons at 13-0.

On Sunday, the Michigan Wolverines will get into the College Football Playoffs for the third time in a row.

Mike Sainristil, a defensive back who forced two of Iowa's three fumbles in the victory, turned to Harbaugh after the coach congratulated him on winning MVP of the championship game. Thank you for coming back."

"I never left!" Harbaugh answered.

Harbaugh had completed Michigan's Big Ten punishment for engaging in an illegal off-campus signal theft scheme run by ex-staff member Connor Stalions, who resigned on November 3. Following his viewing of Michigan's victory over Penn State on November 11 from the team hotel, Harbaugh went to Maryland on November 18 to cheer on his brother, John, the coach of the Baltimore Ravens. After that, he stayed at home to watch the Wolverines defeat their bitter rival Ohio State last week, sending them to the league final.

On game days, Harbaugh was not involved with Michigan since offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore covered for him as interim head coach. Despite this, Harbaugh could oversee practices and game strategy. After the victory on Saturday, Harbaugh expressed his happiness by saying, "10 out of 10, happy," and he aimed to have as many players as possible deliver the trophies on stage.

Harbaugh remarked, "It's not about me; I've had a lot of success." "The big delight is that your players and their families can experience what it's like to be champions. For example, my wife and children see their dad as a champion, and my parents see their son as a champion.

"It's a beautiful, wonderful thing."

Sainristil used a favorite quote from Harbaugh, "The worm has turned," to characterize Michigan's turnaround from a 2-4 season in 2020 that resulted in a contract restructuring that saw a smaller guaranteed pay for the coach. The players "put the hook in... the worm," according to Harbaugh.

He also brought up his comment from July 2021's Big Ten preseason media days. When asked what would it take to defeat Ohio State at last, Harbaugh responded, "We're going to do it or die trying."

Adding to his single-season club record of 24, running back Blake Corum scored two touchdowns on the ground to tie Anthony Thomas' career record of 55. "We've changed the narrative, how people look at Michigan," remarked Corum. "Going back-to-back is a wonderful feeling. We have such high expectations of ourselves that we have to meet them."

Zak Zinter, the offensive lineman and captain for Michigan, was honored with the team's victory. He had surgery on November 25 after suffering a fractured leg against Ohio State, but he still managed to travel with his teammates to the Big Ten championship. During the pregame coin toss, Zinter went to midfield with the captains of Michigan, where Petitti gave him the trophy for winning the Big Ten.

QB J.J. McCarthy said of Zinter, "Being a leader on this team just enlivens all of us to go out there and do our best and play for him." "When [Harbaugh] made this game for him, we were doing it for him, it just brought another level of urgency and motivation to go out there and do it for him."

Michigan's victory over Iowa was fueled by its defense and special teams, who held the Wolverines to 213 yards and just one touchdown drive longer than 28 yards. The first touchdown of Michigan was set up by Semaj Morgan's 87-yard punt return, which was the longest in the history of the Big Ten championship game.

With only three Hawkeye drives reaching midfield, the Wolverines limited Iowa to 2.8 yards per play, 4-of-15 on third down, and 0-for-3 on fourth down.

"Were there three turnovers in total? The four fourth-down stops, too," stated Harbaugh. It is equivalent to seven turnovers. It's crucial to give the offense the ball while they're in a strong position. Thus, simply amazing play."

On Sunday, Michigan will find out its CFP seed and opponent. After losing their last two playoff matches to Georgia and TCU, the Wolverines are now only 1-6 overall under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

"Guys like me and Blake, this is what we came back for, to have the success with this team," Sainristil stated. "I wouldn't trade the brotherhood on this team for anything in the world. This team will be remembered for all time.

"We approach our goals by devoting all of our efforts to the subsequent one. There is still work to be done."

Harbaugh's Salary

The school increased his base pay to $8.05 million, but only slightly reduced the package of incentives to $3.275 million. This season, he is expected to get almost $8.2 million from the institution.