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Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines face Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl on Monday, with the winner advancing to the national championship.
No. 1-ranked Michigan will hope to advance past the semifinal stage for the first time in its third consecutive attempt. Last year, the Wolverines made the CFP semifinals, where they faced the TCU Horned Frogs at the Fiesta Bowl. The Wolverines would lose the game 51-45.
But this year, the Wolverines hope things will be different. Many of the team who played in the Fiesta Bowl loss will suit up for today's Rose Bowl showdown, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
In the build-up to their game against No. 4 Alabama, the Wolverines' official X account released a video with a voiceover from former Wolverine and current NFL running back Aidan Hutchinson.
"This is our time. We were born for this moment. #GoBlue," Michigan Football posted.
The video focuses on the training process that every college football player goes through. High-caliber workouts that enable the players to be the best that they can be.
It also calls for every Wolverine on the field to work together. Hutchinson says in the video:
“It'll take every man in a winged helmet to win this game.”
Hutchinson is right. Alabama is the toughest opponent that the Wolverines have faced all season long. It will be a battle for the Wolverines to win this game, and they know that one mistake could cost them the matchup.
But there is hope in the Wolverines camp. Their motto has been “Michigan vs. Everybody,” which seems true both on and off the field with the NCAA investigations surrounding the program.
The program and the players were born for this game and have been preparing for this moment since their defeat to TCU last season. Now, all they have to do is deliver.
Michigan at the Rose Bowl
The video also focuses on the Wolverines’ history at the Rose Bowl. Michigan has played in a total of 21 Rose Bowl games. They have won eight of them.
Monday's contest holds a special place in the hearts of Wolverines fans. In the 1998 game, the Wolverines won the national championship in this stadium in Pasadena, California. They defeated the Washington State Cougars 21-16 in a game where quarterback Brian Griese would be the MVP.
They have not won a national championship since. If they defeat Alabama tonight, they are one step closer.
