CFP: No. 1 seed Michigan draws No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s official … Michigan is in the College Football Playoff for the third straight year. The Wolverines will face No. 4 seed Alabama, which entered the weekend No. 8 in the rankings but moved up after beating No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game.
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No. 2 Washington, a winner over Oregon in the PAC-12 title game, will play No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Both games will be played New Year’s Day 2024.
The Wolverines handled Iowa, 26-0, in an anticlimactic Big Ten championship game. Grad defensive back Mike Sainristil forced two fumbles and was all over the field to earn MVP honors. The Wolverines managed only 213 yards of offense, but it was more than enough. The defense was outstanding against an inept Hawkeyes offense.
“Great thrill of victory, great thrill of winning,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “A wonderful, wonderful feeling of winning. It’s what our team had planned for, hoped for, worked for most importantly, and they stayed with it the entire time.
“It was an incredible performance, and we’re just going to enjoy this one. We’re going to enjoy this one for a few days. The team will have a week off, but our mind will get on a one-track mind to move on to the playoffs and find out who we’re going to play. Then the team still has more goals to accomplish.”
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And they’ll need to improve to meet them. But that’s the plan, Michigan junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy said after the win over Iowa.
“It feels great. Obviously to be back and do it again … this was one of our goals, and it feels great to accomplish it. What I’m feeling personally is I need to get better, and we need to get better as an offense and focus on the little things. It’s going to be a great month of preparation.
“[But] it’s been beautiful [the last three years], just a tremendous blessing to be able to be a part of it. Through all the ups and downs, through all the peaks and valleys, there’s nobody I would rather go to war with every single day than these guys right here and be led by anybody else but Coach Harbaugh. It’s just been so much fun.”
Now it continues with a few weeks of preparation before Michigan hits the warm California sun.
