Jim Harbaugh outlines a key goal for the Michigan football vs. Michigan State rivalry

Over the past few decades, the Michigan football vs. Michigan State rivalry has been getting quite heated. Last year was a tipping point when there was an assault in the tunnel following the Wolverines’ decisive 29-7 victory over the Spartans in Ann Arbor, MI, a game that helped spark a Big Ten title-winning season for the Maize and Blue. At Big Ten Media Day, Jim Harbaugh was asked about the Wolverines’ rivalry matchup — in response, he outlined a simple yet crucial goal.

Jim Harbaugh outlines a major goal for the Michigan football vs. Michigan State Spartans

Outside of winning on the field and beating his in-state rival, what does Jim Harbaugh want to see out of the Michigan football vs. Michigan State rivalry going forward? Simple: respect.

“I mean, the goal is mutual respect,” Harbaugh said of the Michigan football vs. Michigan State rivalry, per USA Today. “Tremendous competition. And that’s what we’re striving for — yes, we have that for Michigan State. Mutual respect and it is great competition.”

This fall, Michigan football and the Michigan State Spartans will face off in a mid-October night game in East Lansing — the first matchup since the infamous tunnel incident last fall. There will certainly be no love lost between these two teams, and Jim Harbaugh says there is no way to know whether or not the Spartans will be looking to earn his team’s respect.

“That’s unknowable for me to know that,” Jim Harbaugh stated when asked about Mel Tucker’s feelings on the rivalry and if the Spartans will be returning Michigan’s respect.

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