ANAHEIM, Calif. – With a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, Michigan can’t be considered a Cinderella.
However, as coach Jim Harbaugh and some of his players took in a day at Disneyland before resuming preparations for Monday's Rose Bowl against Alabama, many considered this year's journey a cross between “The Lion King” and a spin on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
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The top-ranked and 13-0 Wolverines have shown that whatever obstacles are put in their way, it ends up galvanizing them. That included two suspensions to coach Jim Harbaugh that ended up being a total of six games.
Running back Blake Corum already thought Michigan had a strong team mentally going into the season. But it ended getting even stronger with all of the tumult surrounding their coach.
“We've built up a strong callus. Whatever anyone throws at us, we take it on the chin and keep on pushing,” he said.
The best example of Michigan using it to their advantage and then punishing its opponent came at Penn State on Nov. 11. One day after Harbaugh was suspended three games by the Big Ten for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy over alleged sign-stealing, the Wolverines ran it on 32 straight plays in a 24-15 victory.
“The more stress you throw at us, it hypes us even more. It gives us purpose to do what we do,” senior linebacker Kris Jenkins said. “We are ready to show the world and shock the world.”
Even though Harbaugh's suspensions have ended, questions about his future at his alma mater remain. When asked if he would entertain offers from the NFL during the offseason, including one from the Los Angeles Chargers after they fired Brandon Staley on Dec. 14, Harbaugh deflected both questions and said his singular focus is on the upcoming game.
“Just a very one-track mind about this game. Right now having fun with the family, the team and the players. We’re at the happiest place on Earth. We’re going to enjoy ourselves and then get back to business," Harbaugh said. “We have some good meetings tonight and we'll wake up tomorrow and practice. This is straight out of the Jack Harbaugh playbook, one day at a time."
Jenkins said there aren't any concerns about Harbaugh's future since the questions have come up every year.
“We know at the end of the day Jim loves us to death. He preaches that all the time. At the end of the day if he does what’s best for him, we absolutely love and support that,” he said.
One difference between the past two Michigan teams that made the CFP and this one is that the preparations leading up to the Rose Bowl have been better.
The Wolverines lost to eventual national champion Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl and fell short in a shootout to TCU in last season's Fiesta Bowl.
Harbaugh noted there was no jet lag from the cross-country trip and that the team looked good during a short session on Wednesday.
“Guys have been sharp, very energized, locked in and focused,” he said. "It's in a good place, just refining that.
“This is the happiest place on earth. Disneyland. I mean, nailed it with that slogan, Especially as a kid, you know, then once you get to be about 17, 18, 19, or 59, 60, I mean, the happiest place on earth is a winning locker room. We’re gonna be at the happiest place on earth today and we got a chance to be in the happiest place on Earth, which will be a winning locker room at the Rose Bowl, on Monday.”
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