Harbaugh a star, but Michigan football needs talent

CHICAGO – Jim Harbaugh’s first Big Ten media day was filled with awkward pauses, clipped answers — and warmhearted stories, such as the one about his recent trip to Paris with his wife. Michigan’s new coach changed gears on the fly Friday, sometimes mid-answer, calculating when to go deep and when to punt. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, like Woody Hayes, refers to Michigan as “the team up north.” Brady Hoke tried tweaking the Buckeyes by calling them “Ohio.” So that was the first question for Harbaugh — any nicknames for your archrival? “No … just Ohio State,” Harbaugh said. “But great to see everybody this morning.” And it was great to see Harbaugh, too, at least for anyone pulling for the Big Ten on a conference level. Some may not realize what a turnaround project he faces — much tougher than what Meyer faced at Ohio State in 2011 — but boy, this should be fun. Harbaugh’s father, Jack, was an assistant under Bo Schembechler during Michigan’s so-called “Ten Year War” with Hayes and Ohio State. Harbaugh later spent three years as Schembechler’s starting quarterback for the Wolverines. “Not a day goes by, really, where I don’t think about Coach Schembechler — from the time I leave my house to go to the office,” Harbaugh said. “I live about five houses away from where Bo lived. “And no matter which way I take to work — whether it’s Devonshire or Geddes or Stadium — I’ll often think, ‘Well Bo probably took this right.’ … Then I park my car and walk by his statue.” The history is irresistible. In 1968, Hayes took his “super sophomores,” including Rex Kern and Jack Tatum, to the national title…

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