The wait is over for Rose Bowl teams

PASADENA, Calif. – The long wait for Michigan and Alabama to compete in the Rose Bowl Game is finally coming to an end. Neither team has played an opponent in nearly a month, giving the players plenty of time to rest up and prepare for the big game, but the anticipation can also be exhausting.

“There are pros and cons, I guess, that comes with it,” said Michigan running back Blake Corum. “You watch the same plays over and over again in film, but then it is like, when is the game going to be here? I am sick of hitting my teammates. I want to go against a different color.”

This is Michigan’s third consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff, and they come into the tournament as the top-ranked team in the country. The Wolverines failed to advance the past two seasons but will use their experience this time around as they try to right their wrongs.

“I feel like we did a really good job of learning from our mistakes the last two years and adapting to a schedule that suits us,” said Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. “That’s going to make sure that we don’t get that paralysis by over-analysis, and we are mentally and physically fresh going into the game.”

Alabama is no stranger to the format. The Rose Bowl Game will be the Crimson Tide’s record-setting seventh College Football Playoff appearance. Every time they have been selected, it has turned into a trip to the national championship game.

“On one hand, because you have more time, you get more repetitions, so you can be more prepared because of the repetitions. On the other hand, the other team has more time to change up some of the things they have always done, and you don’t know what those might be, so you may not be prepared for some of those things,” said Nick Saban.

Preparation leading up to kickoff is key for both teams if they want to reach their ultimate goal. However, there is a fine line between being prepared and overthinking when it comes to having this much time before the biggest game of the season.

“If you let yourself fall victim to the game being in a month, then you will fall victim to it, but if you keep your mind focused on having to prepare and staying locked in, then that is what you are going to do,” said Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil.

Both teams put in the work all year long, so it is no surprise they were up for the task when it came to keeping their focus during the long delay. It is almost as if the players just took part in a mini offseason program and will now have to implement everything they learned during training camp, all while shaking off the rust to play in the biggest game of many of their lives up to this point.

Lead photo caption: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe at the podium during the Rose Bowl Game media day event at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Dec. 30, 2023. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline.com