ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football is the No. 1 team in the nation and the current betting favorite (-1.5 on BetMGM), but you’d never know it from the way the Rose Bowl is discussed.
It makes sense that most would look at Alabama and assume it will win and play in the national championship game given the Crimson Tide’s history under Nick Saban. Likewise, Michigan hasn’t exactly had a stellar record under Jim Harbaugh in the postseason. But considering the top team in the country is usually thought of as the favorite and yet the Wolverines aren’t getting that type of love, it’s something that the players are feeling.
Last week, Michigan running back Blake Corum discussed how eerie the reception of the impending College Football Playoff semifinal has been. In the same breath that the maize and blue got the top spot for the first time in the CFP era, many have picked them to lose in the Rose Bowl. Thus, the Wolverines are using that as fuel for Monday’s premier matchup.
“Yeah, they flipped it from the jump. As soon as they announced we would be playing Alabama, I feel like they flipped it from the jump, which is fine,” Corum said. “It’s all people’s opinions and what they think, but we’re going into it, like I said last time, as a top dog. We’re the No. 1 team in the nation and we’re going to treat it as such.
“Alabama is a great team. After watching film, they’re coached really well, and the defense flies around. So it’s definitely gonna be a challenge that we’re super excited for. We love a good challenge. But yeah, we’re still the top dog and that’s how we’re going in.”
While that might be the narrative, there’s a different narrative that formed in Schembechler Hall before Michigan made its way to Los Angeles.
As the team readies itself to play the Crimson Tide, there appears to be a much different feeling around the program. Corum feels it, the other players feel it, but Corum can’t quite put his finger on it.
What he can say is that he’s been impressed with how the team has prepared and feels like it’s in a perfect position to change that narrative — for good.
“I’ve been trying to think about, like, what is the different vibe? I don’t understand what it is, but you feel it,” Corum said. “You feel it, you feel everyone just buying in. From watching film through the practices, the way we’re just having fun, we’re flying around. The execution and precision that we’re playing with right now, it’s amazing. We’ll be ready.”
The only way to change that narrative, however, is to win. Lose, even by one point on a freak play, and Michigan will draw similar ire to what it has the past two years. It will amplify the scandals that have plagued the program over the past year, as well. But a win? It won’t fully silence the doubters, only a national championship win will do that. However, a win vs. Alabama would go a long way toward changing the tenor of the national coverage, and these players know that.
And they relish it.
