Jim Harbaugh Gives Strange Answer When Asked If He Respects Ryan Day

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh apparently can't bring himself to say one nice thing about Ryan Day.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines will take the field Saturday in Ann Arbor, and it's shaping up to be the biggest regular season game of the year.

The stakes are even higher considering Harbaugh won't be on the sidelines. He's still in the process of serving a three-game suspension stemming from a massive sign stealing cheating scandal.

There's been serious speculation men tied to Ryan Day's family sparked the investigation, but that remains unproven at this point. What is clear, is that Jim Harbaugh doesn't seem to be a big fan of the Ohio State head coach.

Jim Harbaugh won't say if he respects Ryan Day. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Jim Harbaugh doesn't seem to respect Ryan Day.

He was directly asked Monday where his level of respect is for Day and "his staff" in Columbus. The Michigan head coach managed to dance around the question in truly impressive form.

"It's all about our preparation for Ohio. You know, the days, the minutes, the hours, everything leading up to this game, that's where our focus is. Preparing ourselves and planning. Gonna practice and then execute. Anything else is irrelevant when you get into this kind of big game week," Harbaugh answered when asked if he respects Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

You certainly said more by what he chose to not say than his actual words. You can watch his body language and reaction below. Send me your thoughts to David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Harbaugh couldn't even fake it.

Do we think Jim Harbaugh dislikes Ryan Day or do we think he dislikes the Ohio State coach? Judging from the video above and his body language, there's no doubt the Michigan leader is not a fan.

Again, there are people within the Michigan program who believe two men tied to Day's family are responsible for the cheating scheme being uncovered.

However, there's no proof that's actually the case. Does Jim Harbaugh look like he's convinced there's no proof? Absolutely not. He looks like he might consider getting in the octagon against Ryan Day if the option was on the menu.

Usually, coaches can come up with some boilerplate comments about respecting opponents and rival coaches. It's the same stuff usually. It's variations of, "They coach hard, work hard and we take them seriously." Jim Harbaugh couldn't even do that and looked as comfortable as someone being interrogated.

Michigan and Ohio State play Saturday in Ann Arbor. Tensions are high with Jim Harbaugh suspended. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The Buckeyes/Wolverines matchup Saturday is going to be electric, and the drama leading into is already awesome. Buckle up for fun, folks, and definitely send me your thoughts to David.Hookstead@outkick.com.