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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday, November 19, 2018 in Ann Arbor about the upcoming Ohio State match.
Nick Baumgardner, press

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is sidelined in the second half against Maryland on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Michigan Stadium.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Jim Harbaugh is mocked at a reporter's question about the fact that the Michigan-Ohio State match is not an extra day at the office earlier this week.

On Tuesday, at the Big Ten Coaches teleconference, Mr. Harbaugh asked the same question again – a question he's had dozens of times now.

This time, however, he offered his most detailed explanation to date. Just in case someone is not paying attention.

Michigan Soccer plays in a massive rivalry, with everything on the line. Harbaugh says nothing in football could be bigger.

"For us it's as big as it gets, it does not get bigger," said Harbaugh after stating that "it's always been like that" in this game. "The most important thing in our football lives for the whole 365 days.

"It's that big."

More on U-M:

The remarkable race of Wolverines was forged in a crucible

Michigan has every reason to beat the Ohio State. Nothing less than a failure

Harbaugh, like most recent U-M coaches, continues to face the same question every year during weeks of rivalry against Michigan State and Ohio State. He usually responds that, yes, it's a big problem.

"Just as it always has been."

Tuesday, however, things have become a little more detailed.

Former Michigan star and winner of the Heisman Trophy, Charles Woodson was adamant about the need for the program to put more emphasis on this game. Players had to behave with more confidence to enter this rivalry. To understand the magnitude of the thing.

On Saturday, U-M will play against Ohio State and the stake could not be bigger. The winner travels to Indianapolis to compete in the Big Ten Championship game. If Michigan is victorious, its shot at a bid for college football matches is still alive and well.

A loss would erase all that.

So, yes, it's a big problem.

Personally, for Harbaugh, there is additional meaning.

"(I had) nine and a half years," said Harbaugh when asked how old he was when he first realized the scale of this game. "The first match that I attended was in 1973, I sat in the south with my mother, brother and sister.It was 10 to 10 in the Michigan Stadium." the highlight of the year, even better than Christmas.

"The best thing about it as a player and coach is the competition – it's making it the best day of the year for me."

Harbaugh knows that he is not alone in this feeling.

"(A win) would mean a lot – for our team and everyone else, it's for us," he added. "We know how important it is to us all."

Contact Nick Baumgardner: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.