With Alabama’s victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs fell from first to fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, allowing Michigan to take over first place. Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines are the top-ranked team in the country and will face No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, which is one of the designated bowl games for the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Following the committee’s final decisions, Harbaugh and the other three playoff-bound coaches virtually stopped by the set to answer questions from Rece Davis, Joey Galloway, and others. However, none of the other coaches spoke as passionately as Harbaugh.
First and foremost, Harbaugh once again advocated for players to receive a portion of the revenue generated by the massive television deals and advertising involved in college football. He also did what Harbaugh does best: he personalized something in a way that only he can.
Back on November 10, just 20 hours before Michigan’s game against Penn State in Happy Valley, and while the Wolverines were literally flying to their destination, Harbaugh, his staff, and his team learned that the veteran head coach had been suspended and would not be allowed inside Beaver Stadium. What would have been a fatal blow for most teams became a motivating opportunity for the wolveriens.
In the hours following the announcement, player after player took to social media to share one simple three-letter word that summed up how they felt knowing their coach had been fired.
“Bet.”
Many Michigan fans had no idea what the word meant, but as it was repeated by dozens and dozens of Wolverines, it gained traction as a sort of battle cry leading up to the game against Penn State.
The word is essentially a slang term for affirmation, agreement, or approval, similar to “Cool!” or “I’m down!” It can also imply skepticism or disbelief: “Yeah, sure.” Another way to think about it is how the Michigan players would react verbally if they learned of Harbaugh’s suspension.
“Are you going to do that to us?” Okay, place your bet. This is what we intend to do to you.”
It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s widely used among Gen Z’ers and widely accepted as a smart, smug acceptance of something you don’t want to accept. The players seemed to embrace it, which led to fans wearing it on shirts and hats to show their support for their favorite team and head coach.
“Bet” carried weight with the players who tweeted it, as well as those who use the word correctly in terms of slang and attitude. Harbaugh is not one of those individuals. Prior to that day, it is reasonable to assume that Harbaugh had never considered or heard the word in that context. Nonetheless, Harbaugh ran with the phrase, making it his own.
While responding to a question from Davis, Harbaugh yelled, “Bet!” Then he went on to explain why he was also using the simple word as a motivator.
“Our players came up with this ‘Bet,'” Harbaugh said on ESPN’s College Football Playoff Show. “I had to look it up to see what it meant.” But it means ‘Bringing Everyone Together,’ and that is exactly what our team has done. So, bet.
” I’m sure the players laughed about it, because that’s clearly not how they meant it. However, it is ideal for Harbaugh. He’s a players’ coach from the old school, and he goes above and beyond to create a positive playing and working environment. He’s always looking out for his teammates and will go to any length to help them. Bringing Everyone Together is an excellent mantra for Harbaugh and his team, particularly during this season.
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