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Harbaugh won his first Big Ten Championship as Michigan's head coach in the same stadium where his name is displayed on the ring of honor and his picture is on the walls in the press box.
The Big Ten title was the first for the Michigan since 2004, and it came after a season in which the team was criticized.
Harbaugh said there is no team he loves more than the team he loves the most. He said he loves how this group embodies a motto etched into the walls of Schembechler Hall.
Harbaugh said to walk past the sign that said " Those who stay will be champion" to make it valid. "For guys to live on, really, in Schembechler Hall forever." idan Hutchinson's picture is going to be on the All-American wall. The Big Ten champion will have every guy on the team in the picture.
There is a banner in Glick Fieldhouse that says Big Ten champion.
Harbaugh hadn't taken his team to the Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff before this season. The team accomplished all three with Saturday's win over the Hawkeyes.
The debate about whether Harbaugh should return to Michigan was erased as confetti flew from the rafters, as the team won the national title.
The players are trying to get to the top. Hutchinson came back to try to change the culture at Michigan. Harbaugh wanted to get a ring and the players wanted to win for him.
"After we won, one of the first things I thought of was Coach Harbaugh," McNamara said. That happened against Ohio State. After last season, it was so difficult for us players and for Coach Harbaugh as well, and we know that there's not one person who cares more about Michigan than Harbaugh.
We came together. We want to win for Coach Harbaugh, too, and we're so happy that we were able to give him back that joy because he deserves it.
Michigan has had a chip on its shoulder because of the outside talk about the 2020 season and the low expectations coming into 2021.
The players were told last week that predictions in the beginning of the season gave them a small chance of winning the Big Ten. They used that as motivation to push until the clock hit zero.
The odds were 2% that we'd win the Big Ten championship, Andrew said. Preseason predictions were made. I don't know how it works out, but we believe in each other. There's always a little motivation to believe in ourselves. You just take it and ride with it and fuel the fire, internally motivated, bring each guy along, but sometimes just some of the stuff that's out there.
The Michigan team was motivated on Saturday by more than that. The players wore block "O" patches to honor the victims of the Oxford High School shooting.
Four students were killed, and the hearts represented them. Myre's initials and his No. 42 he wore for the Oxford football team were present on the patch, and it was Hutchinson who approached Harbaugh about honoring the Oxford community.
Myre's parents wore white T-shirts that said "Oxford Strong" for the coin toss.
The same as Myre's number, Michigan won the game with 42 points. Harbaugh stopped and took a breath when he noticed the significance.
Harbaugh said that the community needed all of their prayers. We wanted to give that up. We wanted to honor Tate Myre and offer our prayers.
There was a lot to be happy about for Michigan on Saturday night. It won its first Big Ten Championship in 17 years and got into the College Football Playoff.
The seeding hasn't been made yet, but with Michigan starting the week at #2, there is a chance that they will be in the top spot for the semifinals.
The Michigan running back was emphatic about where he believes his team belongs. "I think so," Corum said. You tell me 42-3. I think so.
