"Harbaugh is completely in Ohio State’s head” - Colin Cowherd claims Michigan holds one major advantage over OSU's style of play

The Michigan Wolverines have to face the Ohio State Buckeyes without coach Jim Harbaugh, as his suspension by the Big Ten was upheld after a deal between the two parties.

"The Game" is one of college football's fiercest rivalries, and wins and losses define the tenures of the respective coaches. This OSU-MU matchup feels like the big one, with both programs flawless with 11-0 records.

The recent in-person sign-stealing investigation that has plagued Michigan has taken away some of the attention from this fixture. Still, recent history favors Jim Harbaugh, who is 2-1 against Ryan Day.

Going into this clash, the Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 2 against the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff rankings, and the stakes could not be much higher.

So, who has the edge in this fixture?

On an episode of "The Herd," analyst Colin Cowherd sang the praises of Michigan coach endlessly. He then claimed that the wily coach was in the head of the rival coach, Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes, amid the sign-stealing investigations.

"Yesterday was your classic question to say something nice about Ryan Day, a coach that he now controls," Cowherd said. "Harbaugh is completely in Ohio State's head. They are absolutely convinced that 'he is only winning doing it with cheating, advanced scouting. Nah, bro, that’s not it."

Herd also detailed why he thought Michigan was a better team.

“Ohio State’s run game is eighth in the Big Ten. Not the country, it’s eighth in the Big Ten,” Cowherd said. “Michigan has one of the nation’s best run games. No. 2 in Power Five touchdowns. Why does that matter? The last 21 times Michigan and Ohio State have played, the team that rushed for more yards won 21-0.

“Ohio State’s gotten fancy, Michigan’s gotten more physical. Ohio State’s gotten faster, Michigan’s gotten more physical. Ohio State thinks it's cheating. Michigan’s gotten more physical. That’s it.”

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No love lost between Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has taken a lot of flak for losing to the Michigan Wolverines twice in a row, and he is under pressure to notch another win in "The Game" after winning in 2019. No love is lost between the two coaches, indicating the intense rivalry governing this matchup.

When asked about his level of respect for Ryan Day during his weekly news conference, Jim Harbaugh gave a vague response and neatly sidestepped the question.

“It’s all about our preparation for Ohio. The days, the minutes, the hours, everything leading up to this game, that’s where I focus is,” Harbaugh said. “Preparing ourselves, planning, gonna practice then execute. Anything else is irrelevant when you get to this kind of big game.”

During his weekly news conference, Ryan Day was asked the same question, and his answer showed that two could play that game:

“I think, you know, with everything going on and the things that are out there, we’ve stayed away from all the distractions we have and just focused on our team.”

The off-field drama makes "The Game" even spicier and probably the most anticipated matchup of the season.