Michigan football emphasizes rest as it arrives for College Football Playoff title game

HOUSTON — Michigan football’s plane touched down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly before sunset on Friday evening, marking the Wolverines’ the final road trip of the season.

However, coach Jim Harbaugh barely remembers the trip.

“I think I fell asleep before we even took off,” Harbaugh told reporters on the tarmac shortly before the team loaded onto buses and headed to its downtown hotel. “Second big flight in a week, all the way from the West Coast to Michigan, then into our preparations and practice and another big flight here.”

Perhaps he was just setting the tone, as the coach of the No. 1 Wolverines (14-0) said the team has emphasized rest ahead of Monday’s College Football Playoff championship game matchup with No. 2 Washington (14-0) at NRG Stadium.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh arrives at Hilton Americas in Houston on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

SHAWN WINDSOR: Michigan football has the secret to beating Washington. And it has Ohio State to thank.

Harbaugh said the team got back to business “very quickly” after Mondays CFP semifinal win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

Although the travel has made the week feel shorter, it’s actually a normal seven-day turnaround from the Rose Bowl to the national title, with the only difference being the day of the games — Monday, instead of Saturday.

The team practiced Friday morning — which they treated like a Wednesday — before they left Ann Arbor, but Harbaugh said the Wolverines weren’t done. The plan was to have an extra walkthrough Friday as well as some meetings as Harbaugh’s group continues preparations.

“Still a few things to clean up,” he said.

Monday will be just the fourth time the two top seeds in the CFP era have met in the final; the first three were all won by the 2-seed, which is just one reason, Harbaugh said, that his…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-emphasizes-rest-arrives-014704233.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-01-06 01:47:04

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