Paul Finebaum: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan still won't beat Ohio State

Jim Harbaugh is having his best season in Michigan, and Paul Finebaum acknowledges that. The ESPN analyst said in a Thursday television appearance that the coach has saved his job thanks to a strong start.

Harbaugh currently has the Wolverines at 6-0, one of two remaining unbeatens in the Big Ten. But for Michigan fans, one game looms above the rest: Ohio State.

The coach is 0-5 against the Buckeyes since taking over in 2015. Although Ohio State has already lost to Oregon this year, Finebaum doesn’t think the Wolverines can win the classic rivalry game.

“This is definitely the year that Jim Harbaugh will beat Northwestern, but that’s as far as I’m going to go,” the ESPN analyst said. “He’s done a really good job. Give him credit. He was on the hottest seat in the country and now he’s still alive. They’ve got Michigan State next week. He’s got Penn State and, of course, Ohio State at the end of the year. Right now, I’ve seen too much football from the Big Ten to believe that Michigan can beat Ohio State.

“They’re going to have a good season and he’ll save his job. But I still don’t believe Michigan is going to beat Ohio State at the end of the year.”

The Wolverines face Northwestern at noon ET on Saturday in Ann Arbor. The game will be the first played for the George Jewett Trophy, honoring the first African-American player in the Big Ten.

After that, Michigan will hit the road to play against Michigan State, the only other undefeated team in the conference, in a top-10 matchup.

The Wolverines have gotten to this point on the back of a stout defense that is giving up just 15.5 points per game, 15th in the country. Their rank fourth in the conference in total defense.

Despite Michigan holding a 58-51-6 all-time lead in the series, Ohio State has dominated as of late. The Buckeyes have won 15 of the past 16 matchups. The teams did not play last season as the game was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

This year, they are scheduled to meet at noon ET on Nov. 27. If Jim Harbaugh proves Paul Finebaum wrong and notches his first win against the Buckeyes, it will be the cherry on top of an already great season.