Des Howard, Paul Finebaum debate whether Michigan really is 'America's Team'

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday for the first time following his three-game suspension handed down by the Big Ten in the midst of the Wolverines’ ongoing sign-stealing investigation, making various interesting remarks regarding the situation in the process.

One of his most attention-grabbing comments was when Harbaugh called Michigan ‘America’s Team’ following the perseverance they showed this weekend in their win over Penn State without him on the sidelines.

America’s Team is a nickname typically used exclusively for the Dallas Cowboys, and on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ Tuesday, college football analyst Paul Finebaum and Michigan alum Desmond Howard debated whether the title is one that rightfully describes the Wolverines.

“I saw Paul earlier on the show and you mentioned the America’s Team comment and the thing Paul said was well some guys may not be old enough to remember the Dallas Cowboys,” Howard said. “Paul I was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, like when we went outside in the backyard playing football I was Tony Dorsett, like I was TD number three. I was Roger Staubach, Tony Hill, Drew Pearson, I can go on and on.”

“And you said well, they were America’s Team because they were on TV the most,” Howard contiued. “Who in the hell’s been on TV more than Michigan the last four, five weeks? You tell me? You tell me, Paul? You made the argument they are America’s Team if that’s gonna be your logic, nobody’s getting more press, more air time than the Michigan Wolverines.”

The saying goes all publicity is good publicity, and if that’s the case, then certainty the Wolverines have been America’s Team lately as the coverage of their sign-stealing investigation has taken over a majority of the discourse surrounding college football. With Howard doubling down on a previous take regarding the real winners of Michigan’s ongoing investigation to host Mike Greenberg.

“And like I told you last week Greeny, who benefits from this?” Howard asked. “Boy, that Ohio State-Michigan game in Ann Arbor in two weeks is starting to look really juicy. FOX is like yeah, keep putting them on the screen. So thank you, Paul, for making my argument that obviously because of the exposure, they must be America’s Team my friend.”

Finebaum did find a sliver of common ground in Howard’s argument, but he still believes that Howard is confusing Michigan’s current polarizing presence in the college football landscape with popularity.

“I don’t really know if there is an adequate response for that, I was also a Cowboys fan. So Des, after all these years we have that much in common, I don’t know if we have anything else in relation to the University of Michigan,” Finebaum joked. “I am fascinated by Jim Harbaugh too, and I would agree with you on one level, every since Coach Prime started losing Jim Harbaugh has become the epicenter of media attention. And that’s fine with me, I’m not sure if it’s really worth debating whether Michigan is really America’s Team or not. But they are certainly the most talked about team in the country and I also think they’re the most reviled team in the country. And that may be good, you’re a football player, that probably inspires layers on that team and I think we saw that after the game.”

There’s no question that the Wolverines have rallied around become Public Enemy No. 1 in college football, from the emotional postgame interview from interim head coach Sherrone Moore to their players sporting ‘Michigan vs. Everybody’ apparel. This may not quite make them America’s team yet, but surely one that’s grasped the attention of the nation.