Not that the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry needs any extra hype more than a week before it's played, but NBA superstar LeBron James went ahead and lit the fire, anyway. The celebrity Ohio State fan was asked what new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will bring to the rivalry, and his answer was, well, nothing.
"Well, it doesn't matter who's the coach over at Michigan, it's always a rivalry," James said on Tuesday, per WXYZ in Detroit. "And we really don't care who's at the helm over there."
As the defending national champions, Ohio State fans like James don't have to show any concern about Harbaugh. But there is no denying the former Wolverines quarterback has engineered an impressive first-year turnaround. Michigan will aim for its ninth win of the season Saturday against Penn State. UM won just five games in Brady Hoke's final season last year.
Of course, Ohio State first has more important business.
The Buckeyes play host to Michigan State on Saturday in what should be their stiffest test of the season. OSU (10-0) is three wins away from a second consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff, with MSU, the rival Wolverines and the Big Ten Championship Game standing in the way.
Leave it to James, who clearly isn't concerned about providing the Wolverines with bulletin-board material, to make one of the nation's hottest rivalries just a little hotter.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
