Even as No. 1 seed, Michigan football has underdog vision in College Football Playoff

Michigan football finds itself in a rather peculiar position.

Michigan (13-0) is ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff seedings as well as both polls, is favored over No. 4 Alabama by nearly all sportsbooks ahead of the programs’ Jan. 1 Rose Bowl matchup and is the only CFP participant this season returning from last season’s field.

That’s while U-M’s Block M is perhaps the biggest brand in college athletics: Its 1,002 victories are the most of any football team (at any level) and Michigan is returning to the stage nearly synonymous with their brand. Only Southern Cal (34) has played in more Rose Bowls than Michigan (21).

And yet, the Wolverines don’t have the typical buzz befitting a 1-vs.-4 CFP matchup.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh signals for a timeout in the first quarter against TCU during the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

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Perhaps it’s because U-M coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-6 in bowls during his time in Ann Arbor. Or maybe it’s because his Crimson Tide counterpart, Nick Saban, is 6-1 in CFP semifinals, with six consecutive victories.

And so Michigan has embraced a virtual underdog mentality, developing — as defensive coordinator Jesse Minter put it Tuesday, the familiar “chip on their shoulder” approach.

“I don’t think it’s taken much to create it,” Minter said. “When we got back together, as a defense as a team — this is what they came back for. 13-0 is fantastic, nobody (at U-M) has ever won three straight outright Big Ten championships like this group has, like coach Harbaugh has.

“But at the same time, this group has been driven to get to this moment. And so past failures often lead to that mentality, that chip on their shoulder. So even though we’ve had…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/even-no-1-seed-michigan-214301349.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2023-12-19 21:43:01

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