U-M, Alabama: ‘Blue blood’ matchup, superstar coaches
Tony Garcia
INDIANAPOLIS – There will be plenty of time to dissect the intricacies of the matchup, the ramifications of each potential result and where this head-to-head showdown of not only two of the sports greatest programs, but its most famous coaches, will rank all-time in the history of Michigan football games.
But on Sunday, just a handful of hours after Jim Harbaugh found out his Wolverines were the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff — on the heels of their third straight Big Ten championship — he allowed himself to soak in the moment.
“It’s what we dreamed about, what we hoped for, what we worked for, what our guys prepared for,” he said via teleconference on Sunday to preview the national semifinal. “We put ourselves to be in position to be in position to win it all.
“We’ve accomplished many of our goals, now winning it all is what we’ve also put on our goal sheet, so we turn our one track mind to this next opponent and play Alabama.”
Michigan became the first Big Ten team to be named the No. 1 seed in the CFP, but shortly thereafter videos of the Wolverines’ apparently tepid reaction to learning of their matchup with the Crimson Tide made the rounds online.
Some believed U-M’s body language implied it did not want a matchup with Alabama, but rather a snubbed and hobbled Florida State team, while the team’s defenders said it was merely the shock of seeing which way the committee went with the final spot in the four-team field.
For Harbaugh, who sports a 1-5 record in bowl games during his time in Ann Arbor and is 0-2 in his past CFP appearances, he’s excited there seemingly couldn’t be a bigger stage for his team to be on to try and accomplish the final tasks on its to-do list.
“No, we’re excited to face them,” Harbaugh clarified. “It’s iconic. It’s Alabama. It’s Roll Tide. Doesn’t get any better, playing in the Rose Bowl. So just going to appreciate the tradition of the Rose Bowl and playing a great team like Alabama.”
Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide squad has won its past 11 games following a Week 2 defeat at home to Texas, which will play Washington in the other semifinal in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Though Saban — who coached five seasons (1995-99) at Michigan State — said he’s not familiar with this year’s Michigan squad just yet, he praised the job Harbaugh had done, particularly on one side of the ball.
“What little I have seen is they’re a great defensive team, one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Saban said. “Productive on offense, quarterbacks a good player, great runner, good balance ... I wouldn’t be fair to compare them to someone else we’ve played, but have tremendous amount of respect for what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
There is no one more accomplished in college football today than Saban. A seven-time national champion, he is 6-1 all-time in College Football Playoff semifinals; his lone loss outside of the title game came in 2014, the inaugural CFP, to Ohio State, which won the championship.
Since that time, Saban said on Sunday, he has learned how to manage his team physically and psychologically leading up to the playoff. He puts particular emphasis in making sure it doesn’t peak too early given the nature of a four-week layoff; that’s something that may have escaped Michigan in its loss to TCU in last year’s semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl.
In Ann Arbor, the Wolverines will also have the next week off to focus on rest and film study, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t already done some homework on the Tide.
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said several players watched the SEC title game before their matchup with Iowa on Saturday night, while Harbaugh lauded the progress of quarterback Jalen Milroe from September to last weekend.
Milroe has thrown for 2,718 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions; he has 10 touchdowns and just one interception in his past four games. But where he really separates himself is as a runner; he has 468 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
“Special set of athletic skills,” Harbaugh said. “As far as time, decision making, accuracy, he’s playing really well within the system. They’ve designed good stuff for him . ... We’ve noticed the level he’s playing at, it’s elite.”
Harbaugh and Saban last met as foes in the 2020 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, when U-M squandered an early 13-7 lead as Alabama stormed back for an easy 35-16 victory. Harbaugh recalled when the two first met, at the 2003 Final Four in New Orleans; there, Harbaugh’s brother-in-law, Tom Crean, coached Dwyane Wade and Marquette to the national semifinals.
The two have overlapped at various Heisman Trophy ceremonies and other college football events since. Harbaugh is excited to square off against the coaching legend on the sport’s grandest stage.
“Kind of stuff you hope for, you plan for, you work for, to be in that position,” Harbaugh said. “Nothing but the highest respect for Coach Saban, he’s always treated us with respect . ... Two true blue bloods of college football, Michigan and Alabama.”
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.