Breaking:How Michigan embraced disorder, firm furnished sign taking and rose to No. 1
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh throws a football before the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP
LOS ANGELES — Michigan arrived here in southern California on Tuesday evening, with the sun setting behind the clouds and all the confidence in the world.
Armed with an unblemished 13-0 record, a third straight Big Ten championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, the Wolverines are the unvarnished kings of the north.
But that success on the field this year has been overshadowed by a wild, nonstop 12 months of carnage off of it, an ugly stretch that has seen two assistant coaches abruptly fired, two separate NCAA investigations for potential rules violations, claims of a sign-stealing operation juicy enough to warrant a future made-for-TV documentary, and a behind-the-scenes feud pitting Michigan brass against the Big Ten.
Meanwhile, Jim Harbaugh — who wound up suspended for six of his team’s first 12 games this season — has Michigan playing Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday, Jan. 1 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN), its third CFP semifinal appearance in as many years.
It doesn’t take very long to figure out what this Michigan team is about. Lift up the hood and you’ll find a passionate, dedicated group of players that have bought into the Michigan way of doing things. A collection of guys with a chip on their shoulder for one reason or another. And a system (on both sides of the ball) that fits their skillset.