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Michigan arrives in Houston ready to claim the ‘big ring’

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•01/05/24•

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Michigan deplanes in Houston, arriving for the National Championship game.

HOUSTON — Several members of the Michigan football team moved slowly toward the team busses after deplaning in Houston in preparation for Monday night’s National Championship Game tilt with Washington. A few of them looked like they’d just woken up, a couple even appearing to wear pajama pants. 

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Head coach Jim Harbaugh wasn’t among them. He was rested and ready, “asleep before the plane even took off” he told several reporters who greeted him when the jumbo jet touched down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. He looked refreshed and in good spirits when he spoke for just a few minutes before boarding the bus. 

“Excited to be here,” Harbaugh said. “Tremendous. It’s exactly where we wanted to be, and right where we hoped we would be. Our guys worked so hard to get here.”

His Michigan team has continued to work hard over the last few days, he added. Today (Friday) would have been like a Wednesday during game week, he noted, and their bodies were still getting used to yet another time zone after they returned from Pacific to Eastern Time Monday following the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines eliminated Alabama, 27-20 in overtime, and came home immediately. 

The Michigan team was slated to eat, have meetings with their position groups, and then go through a walkthrough Friday night I Houston. Tomorrow is media day, followed by a practice that will be temporarily open to reporters for photo shoots. 

It’s been a whirlwind, Harbaugh admitted, but they’ve never lost their focus. 

“It’s one step from the big ring, as that song the young people like to listen to,” Harbaugh said, a reference to rap song ‘Big League.’ “The lyrics from there really resonate. Just one more phrase line — one more game to go. Our guys are very focused on making it all the way.”

Afterward, he said, he and his family would likely make some time to explore Houston like they did two years ago. First, though, they need to “take care of some business stuff first,” Harbaugh said, which of course includes the game with No. 2 Washington Saturday night. 

“That’s a thorough ball team,” the Michigan coach said. “They’ve taken on all comers and come out on top every single week. I can see why.

“[But] to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. That’s our mindset, and we’re ready to have at it.”

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