CHICAGO — A year ago, Ohio State's Urban Meyer was the headline at Big Ten media days in Chicago.

Now, Meyer's gone. But his old rival, Jim Harbaugh, still said a few words about him on the eve of the league's annual kickoff event.

Speaking with The Athletic's Tim Kawakami on a podcast, Harbaugh was asked what his reaction was when Meyer retired last season — Meyer went 4-0 against Harbaugh, including a 62-39 win at Ohio State last season.

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Harbaugh answered with a compliment. And a swipe.

"Urban Meyer's had a winning record. A really phenomenal record everywhere he's been," Harbaugh said. "But also, controversy follows everywhere he's been."

Meyer was suspended for Ohio State's first three games of the 2018 season as the school investigated domestic violence allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith. He was ultimately reinstated and helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title, Rose Bowl victory and a 13-1 record. He retired after the season ended.

That 2018 season included another win over Michigan, a school Meyer never lost to during his time at Ohio State. During his run at Florida, Meyer lost to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008. Harbaugh's 0-4 against the Buckeyes. Michigan has lost 14 of its last 15 in that series.

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"All you can be judged on is your record. What your record is overall. What your record is within your conference. What your record is with head-to-head matchups," Harbaugh told Kawakami. "I think you'll find Ohio State is the only team with a better record, a better conference record than us (since I've been there) and has a better head-to-head matchup with us.

"Our goal, we have two: Win multiple championships and run a first-class program. That's what we aspire to. We're learning and you take accountability and you learn from it. Hope springs eternal and we're fired up for this season going forward."

Harbaugh is scheduled to speak with reporters in Chicago on Friday.

Contact Nick Baumgardner at nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.