'The perfect fighting unit:' Jim Harbaugh details why he wants Michigan to be like a pack of wolves
Jim Harbaugh’s brain is a fascinating thing.
The Michigan coach has some unique theories. He once said humans shouldn’t eat chickens because they were a “nervous bird” (he recently walked that back). And he has said he believes the “No. 1 natural steroid” is sleep and No. 2 is whole milk followed by water and then steak.
During media day on Saturday, Michigan players revealed that they had been watching nature documentaries as a team before games during the 2023 season. During his final pre-national championship game news conference on Sunday, Harbaugh was asked why nature documentaries became a subject for pregame movies and, well, Harbaugh’s answer did not disappoint.
"Just a chance to be with your team is the main thing, just that gathering," Harbaugh said. "There's, like, the perfect fighting unit to me is a pack of wolves, wolf pack. And you see them. You see them gathered together before the fight. You see them going together going to the fight. You see them together in the fight. You see them celebrating after the fight.
"And the active word there is "together." So that's the picture I have. We're together. That's the night before the game. So we're together."
"As far as who picks the movies and what are they? A lot of it is fight. That resonates with me because it's a football fight. These games you play, it's a football fight."
"And the night before, if it's a night game, like tomorrow night, it will be a little longer, movie-type of length. 12:00 o'clock kickoff, it would be really short. 3:00 o'clock game, may go an hour."
"That's where some of the documentaries and predators — we found one this year on predators — tigers, cheetahs, lions, great stuff. Really seemd to resonate with the guys. I love them. Who doesn't? Some of those great type of things."
"But when it gets to how the world wants to turn you into something — but we kind of allow ourselves to devolve into a pack of wolves. That's what we want to channel. Probably nature's greatest fighting unit."
Perhaps the spirit of the wolf is why Michigan’s opponent is nicknamed the Huskies? After all, huskies are some of the most closely-related domesticated dogs to wolves and, like Michigan, Washington has gone 14-0 this season on the way to the national title game. Who has the edge when both teams are inspired by the perfect fighting unit that is the wolf?
OK, we’re kidding. We think. Anyway, Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite over Washington in what’s just the fourth national title game of the playoff era to involve two undefeated teams. Washington has won 10 consecutive games by 10 points or fewer while four of Michigan’s last five wins have been by fewer than 10 points. Monday night’s game should be a good one.
