PASADENA, Calif. – Michigan football defeated powerhouse Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday, an overtime thriller, to secure its spot in the national championship game.
Michigan scored a game-tying touchdown with 1:40 left in the game, sending it to overtime. Michigan would score on its first possession to take the lead. Alabama failed to score on fourth and goal, ending the game, sending Michigan to the title game next week in Houston.
The final score was 27-20.
The third time was the charm for the Wolverines, as they finally won a semifinal game in their third-straight College Football Playoff appearance. This one was worth the wait -- it doesn’t get much better than defeating a program in the middle of the sport’s greatest dynasty at the most iconic venue in the nation.
With the win, Michigan improved to 14-0 -- the first 14-win season in the history of college football’s winningest program. And it comes on the heels of Michigan’s first-ever 13-win campaign in 2022.
This is the finest coaching job yet by Jim Harbaugh and his staff, which has led Michigan to three straight Big Ten titles (and wins over Ohio State) after a long drought from 2004-2020.
Running back Blake Corum headlined a long list of players who returned to Ann Arbor for this very reason. Corum, Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell, and others could have left for the NFL draft in the offseason, but they wanted a chance to compete for a national championship after last season’s semifinal loss to TCU.
Now they’re just one win away from accomplishing that goal in the final year of the four-team playoff.
Michigan now awaits the winner of Monday night’s Sugar Bowl semifinal, which features No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas. The winner will play No. 1 Michigan in Houston next week.
