Nobody can say Jim Harbaugh isn't willing to schedule tough non-conference games around Michigan's Big Ten schedule.
The coach confirmed at a football camp in Detroit on Friday that he's in favor of a renewal of the Michigan-Notre Dame series, and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who also attended the event, issued the same sentiment.
"I've been on board since the inception," Harbaugh said, according to MLive Media Group. "It's something that's been working on for many months, going on seven, eight, nine months now. There are still some T's to cross and I's to dot, but I've been on board fully since the inception."
It's unclear when the series might resume, but the report noted both schools have an opening for a game on Sept. 7, 2019.
Said Kelly: "We're still working on it. Obviously from our scheduling standpoint we've scheduled so far in advance and I think I've made it fairly public that I'd like to see this game happen and I know Jim wants to make it happen. We've got some hurdles that we've got to work through, but you've got two coaches that are committed to making it happen. I'm sure we'll figure it out and get it done, but we've still got a little work to get it done."
The schools played every year from 2002-2014, with Michigan winning seven of 13 in that stretch. Notre Dame won the last meeting in resounding fashion, 31-0 in 2014. The schools also played one another frequently in the 1980s and 90s as well, though not without interruption.
It's not the first hint we've received that a renewal of the series has been in the works.
Kelly told The Rich Eisen Show last September that the possibility of the two storied programs playing again was "trending up."
Michigan faced a relatively tough non-conference schedule of Utah, Oregon State, UNLV and BYU in Harbaugh's first year, though those games were scheduled in advance of his hiring. As Michigan fills vacancies on future schedules, Harbaugh's fingerprints will begin to show up.
And working toward a renewal with Notre Dame leaves little doubt that Harbaugh wants to make a big non-conference impression.
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