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Michigan RB Karan Higdon guarantees victory over Ohio State

No. 10 Ohio State will host fourth-ranked Michigan on Saturday with a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game on the line.
Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It was 32 years ago that Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan victory over Ohio State -- a proclamation that proved prophetic.

Now the head coach of his alma mater, Harbaugh has yet to earn a victory over the Buckeyes in any of his first three seasons standing on the sideline. But one of his players is promising that will soon change, with Wolverines running back Karan Higdon making a guarantee the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry hasn't seen since Harbaugh made his in 1986.

"I do,” Higdon told reporters in Ann Arbor on Monday, when asked if he was willing to guarantee a victory over the Buckeyes. “That’s how I feel, I believe firmly in my brothers, this team and this coaching staff. And as a captain, I’ll take that stand. Why not?”

Although Michigan has beaten Ohio State just once in the past 14 years, the betting odds agree with Higdon's bold stance.

For the first time since 2011 -- the last time the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes -- Michigan is favored to beat Ohio State, something it hasn't done in Columbus since the 2000 season. Per Bovada, the Wolverines are currently a 4.5-point favorite to beat the Buckeyes on Saturday.

Harbaugh, for his part, wasn't willing to take the bait on Monday, downplaying the guarantee he made more than three decades ago.

"I don’t think about that... it’s been a long time since,” Harbaugh said. "There's not much to say about that. I can’t remember what it was or what it was that really made me say that or do that.”

But when asked if the Buckeyes were just another game on the Wolverines' schedule, Harbaugh's reply was telling.

"Of course not," he said.

Higdon's guarantee helps prove as much.

No. 10 Ohio State will host fourth-ranked Michigan at Ohio Stadium on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, where a spot in the College Football Playoff could potentially be on the line.

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