Michigan focused on itself as Nebraska heads to Ann Arbor

Michigan is in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons in college football this year. So much so that it was the only topic asked of coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday.

The eighth-year Wolverines coach touched on a variety of subjects with a central theme during a 15-minute session with local media members. The value of running back Blake Corum. Why the team has been so effective in the second half. How much he follows results of other top-ranked schools around the country as No. 3 UM (9-0) chases another College Football Playoff berth.

“It is so noticeable just how hard guys are playing,” Harbaugh said. “It’s 60 minutes of that kind of effort.”

What didn’t come up in the news conference was Nebraska, a team Las Vegas oddsmakers consider to be a 28.5-point underdog in Ann Arbor this weekend. Asked separately about the Huskers by a local television station, Harbaugh said NU “has the ability” to play well. Like anybody, there’s always room for more consistency.

“They’ve played some really good halves or three quarters or three quarters and a half or two quarters,” Harbaugh said of Nebraska. “They’re extremely capable. They’re trying to do the same thing we are. If we play good, we’ve got a really good chance of winning the game. If we don’t play good, then we’ve got a really good chance of getting beat. If they play really good for four quarters then they’ve got a really good chance of winning the game.”

All the numbers point against a historic upset Saturday afternoon on ABC. Michigan has outscored its last four opponents — Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers — 100-3 after halftime. Though the Wolverines haven’t forced many turnovers (11, tied for 87th nationally), the offense has given away even fewer (five, third).

The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum is seventh among FBS players at 131 rushing yards per game, and no such rusher has more than his 16 touchdowns on the ground. Harbaugh said Corum is the best college back he’s ever coached, putting only Frank Gore ahead of him from their time together with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.

The coach said Corum is even more important to Michigan than Toby Gerhart was to Stanford in 2009 when Harbaugh was with the Cardinal and Gerhart was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

“It would be hard to imagine that he wouldn’t — heck, the way he’s going — win the Heisman Trophy,” Harbaugh said of Corum.

Both Corum and Donovan Edwards ran for 109 yards against Rutgers last week, with brute physicality in the trenches breaking open what had been a close game at intermission.

And so Michigan churns on, welcoming Nebraska and Illinois to the Big House before its showdown with No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 26. A Big Ten title and CFP loom as possibilities after that.

“It’s definitely magical,” Harbaugh said. “You’re on a really good ride. You want to do everything you can to keep it going.”​