Jim Harbaugh on Michigan football's playoff challenge: 'Why not us?'
Some believed Michigan would vault to No. 1 in the college playoff rankings with Georgia’s loss to Alabama. Instead, the Crimson Tide leapfrogged the Wolverines to take the top spot.
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As a result, No. 4 Cincinnati will face Alabama in the Dec. 31 Cotton Bowl and No. 2 Michigan will face the No. 3 Bulldogs in Miami.
Some, like U-M running back Blake Corum, felt the Wolverines had made their case with a 42-3 win over Iowa. Harbaugh, though, wasn’t concerned with seeding. He was just happy to be one of the four.
“The facts are you’ve got to win two games to be the national champion,” Harbaugh said. “My thoughts, and from what I can tell from all the players, is it didn’t make any difference what seed we were. We even had a bunch of conversations with guys, and that’s what their thoughts were. I echo those.
“It’s ‘why stop now? hy not us?’ We’re going to take a few days off here and coaches will immediately start preparation for the game. I’m excited to prepare. All the teams that are in the playoffs are great teams, worthy. Yeah, we’re happy to be one of them.”
Still, many Michigan fans were hoping for a match-up with the undefeated Bearcats, a two-touchdown underdog. Instead, U-M enters its New Year’s Eve game as a touchdown ‘dog to Georgia, a team with one loss all year and an elite defense.
‘Rugged was the word Harbaugh used to describe the Bulldogs, calling them a ‘tough, tough squad.’ He hasn’t gone in depth on them yet, but he understands the challenge.
“They play extremely well on all sides of the ball and special teams,” he said. “I’m going to be really, really excited to dig into it and study it, but yeah — that’s the word that came to my mind.
“The linebacking corps — those are some of the best linebackers I’ve seen. Just watching it as you look through the keyhole, that jumps out at you real quick. Super impressed with the playmakers (too). There are quite a few guys on the roster, offense and defense, we remember recruiting and watching in high school. Now, to see them as expected being great players in college … a physical, rugged team in the lines. Skilled players, smart players.
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“You don’t know the schemes. You don’t know what they’re trying to accomplish really when you’re watching it on TV, but it jumps out to you pretty quick that there’s not a lot of mental error. There’s not a lot of people going the wrong way or doing things you wouldn’t want your players doing if you’re a coach.”
This week, the Michigan coach and his staff will start digging into the film in detail, continuing over the several weeks. For now, though, the coaches and players are enjoying what they’ve accomplished.
Few picked Michigan to win the Big Ten East, let alone make the playoff. Here they are though, and they’re rallying around the ‘two percent’ odds they were given to capture an East title.
“It felt great,” Harbaugh said. “The thing that really stands out is they’re really enjoying it. I look at it and I go, ‘There’s no place these guys would rather be. They’re enjoying every minute of this.’ So, it makes it fun. And then when you play well and win, it makes you feel even better.
“… It was pretty darn late when we got back to the hotel. We woke up first thing [Sunday], got on the buses, went to the airport and flew back to Ann Arbor and guys were feeling good about it. The same feelings as I had.”
They’ll bask in the glow a bit longer before getting back to work, but they’ve got high hopes of hanging another banner in Glick Fieldhouse after Jan. 10.
