'I would say it's good to be back, but I never left': Jim Harbaugh is ready to return for Michigan after serving a sideline ban as he gears up for Big Ten championship game against Iowa

Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh is expected to return for the Big Ten championship game against No. 17 Iowa, now that his three-game ban is up.

The suspension stemmed from allegations of a prohibited sign-stealing operation led by former staff member Connor Stallions. 

Harbaugh, 59, watched Saturday's win over rivals, Ohio State, from home with his family, as he described safety Rod Moore's game-clinching interception of Kyle McCord's pass in the final minutes as 'one of the happiest moments of my life.' 

No. 2-ranked Michigan has won all three games during Harbaugh's latest suspension, which had only been applied on game days.

'My emotions, my focus has been with the team the entire time,' he told ESPN on Sunday. 'It's been a tremendous season, right in the exact position that we hoped for, that we worked so hard to be in. It's onward now. We've accomplished many of our goals, but not all of them yet. [...] The next is winning the conference championship, so that's where our focus is. I would say it's good to be back, but I never left.'

After Saturday's victory against the Buckeyes, the Wolverines became the first Big Ten team ever to win 30 consecutive regular-season games.  

Harbaugh praised his offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore for stepping in to act as a head coach during his ban, and a 'very, very special team', quoting his own coach at Michigan, Hall of Famer Bro Schembechler. 

'The team, the team, the team -- it just rings so loud,' Harbaugh said. 'It was not one guy. 

'All guys, the entire team, the way they played and it was offense complementing the defense, the defense complementing the offense, the special teams as well. 

'Everything was really run clean and precise, highly disciplined football, and a clean game, both sides.'

Harbaugh also reiterated his readiness to take less money if it means college football players and other athletes would be paid. 

'For the players to be compensated, I'm using my voice, and I would take less money for the players to have a share.  I hope other coaches would use their voice to express the same thing,' Harbaugh said Sunday, bringing up the sacrifice athletes make when offensive lineman Zak Zinter broke his leg in the third quarter of the Wolverines' win over Ohio State.

'Who can be against the players being compensated for what they do, or at least even minimum wage? I mean, who could argue against that when there's injury or not?' said Harbaugh, whose base salary is $7.63 million this year with an additional $3 million in bonuses possible.

Athletes are able to make money from their name, image and likeness, but are not paid directly by schools.