With Alabama defeating Georgia in the SEC Championship, the Bulldogs slid from

No. 1 and out of the top four, which opened the door for Michigan to take over the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines are the top-ranked program in the entire country and will take on No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, which is one of the designated bowl games for the CFP semifinals.

After the final decisions were made by the committee, Harbaugh virtually stopped by the set to answer some questions from Rece Davis, Joey Galloway and others, as did the other three playoff-bound coaches. But, none of the other coaches spoke like Harbaugh did.

First of all, Harbaugh once again advocated for the players to get a share of the revenue generated by the massive television deals and advertising involved in the world of college football. He also did what Harbaugh does best — he made something his own in a way that only he can.

Going back to November 10, just 20 or so hours before Michigan was set to take the field against Penn State in Happy Valley, and while the Wolverines were literally flying to their destination, Harbaugh, his staff and his team found out that the veteran head coach had been suspended and would not be allowed inside Beaver Stadium. What would be a fatal blow for most teams, turned into a galvanizing opportunity for the Wolverines.

In the hours following the announcement, player after player after player took to social media to display one simple, three-letter word that encompassed how they felt knowing that their coach had been taken away from them.

“Bet.”

A lot of Michigan fans had no idea what the word meant, but as it showed up over and over again from dozens and dozens of Wolverines, it began to pick up steam as somewhat of a battle cry heading into the contest against Penn State.

Essentially, the word is a slang term of affirmation, agreement, or approval along the lines of “Cool!” or “I’m down!” It can also suggest doubt or disbelief: “Yeah, sure.” Another way to think about it is how the Michigan players would verbally respond after hearing the news of Harbaugh’s suspension.

“You’re going to do that to us? Alright, bet. Here’s what we’re going to do to you.”

It doesn’t make the most sense in the world, but it is commonly used among Gen Z’ers and widely accepted as a smart, smug acceptance of something that you actually don’t want to accept. The players seemed to really embrace it, which led to fans putting it on shirts and hats in order to support their favorite team and head coach.

By itself, “Bet” carried weight with the players who tweeted it and those who use the word correctly when it comes to slang and attitude. Harbaugh is not one of those people. Before that day, it stands to reason that Harbaugh never thought about that word and may not have ever even heard it in that context. Still, Harbaugh took the word and ran with it, making it his own.

While answering a question from Davis, Harbaugh belted out, “Bet!” And then proceeded to explain why he was also using the simple word as a method of motivation.

“Our players came up with this ‘Bet,’” Harbaugh said on the ESPN CFP Show. “I even had to look up what it means. But what it means to me is ‘Bringing Everyone Together,’ and that’s what our team has done. So, bet.”

I’m sure the players had a chuckle about it, because that’s obviously not how they meant it at all. But it fits perfectly for Harbaugh. He’s an old school, players’ coach and he goes above and beyond to create a positive playing and working environment. He’s always looking out for his guys and will do whatever it takes to support them. Bringing Everyone Together is a perfect mantra for Harbaugh and his team, especially this season.READ MORE