College Football Playoff National Championship: Jim Harbaugh reveals pre-game message to Michigan

In just a few hours, Michigan will run onto the field for the College Football Playoff National Championship game vs. Washington. Everyone in the program has been building toward the moment under head coach Jim Harbaugh. And after the last three seasons, it’s finally here as opportunity awaits in Houston.

So what was Harbaugh’s message to his team when arriving at NRG Stadium? Apparently not much, with Harbaugh knowing his team is going to be ready to go. Trust and togetherness has been a big theme for Michigan all season, with a final reminder coming on Monday evening.

“Our guys are ready,” Harbaugh said during a pregame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They’re all in. It didn’t take much at all. Mainly just — trust your training, trust your teammates, trust God. All in, all have your back.”

Michigan has not won a national championship since 1997, the second-longest drought in program history. Harbaugh was hired to do so back in 2015 and while there have been ups and downs, not too many teams have been better than the Wolverines over the past three seasons.

Even this season, there has been a ton of off-field controversy, fueling the Michigan players. Harbaugh has not been on the sideline for six games this season. But his return for the Big Ten Championship was a huge motivating factor and maybe helped take them to the next level.

Michigan will certainly be leaving everything on the field in Houston, desperately wanting to see Maize and Blue confetti fly from the sky. Two straight College Football Playoff semifinals resulted in heartbreak until finally getting over the hump on New Year’s Day. taking down Alabama.

During his on-field postgame interview after the Rose Bowl, the message from Harbaugh was similar — talking about togetherness. He saw it out there as Blake Corum scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime before Michigan’s defense stopped Jalen Milroe on 4th and 1.

“It’s the togetherness,” Harbaugh said on Jan. 1. “We’re so together. So connected. We were going to overcome anything that was inside this stadium.”

Something similar will be needed to beat Washington, the only other remaining undefeated team in college football. Both teams will enter the game with a 14-0 record and are hoping to add a 15th win.

Harbaugh believes if his team can continue to stick together and trust each other, it will be a celebratory night for the Wolverines.