PASADENA, California (AP) — Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday.
Michigan’s defense ended only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Rose Bowl when Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was stopped for no gain when he attempted to sneak up the middle on fourth down from the Michigan 3.
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Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington or Texas on Jan. 8 in Houston, but only after a late comeback and a hair-raising finish to “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
Michigan is the sixth straight No. 1 seed to win its semifinal game in the CFP’s 10 years of existence.
Michigan is one win away from reaching the primary goal set by Harbaugh when he returned to his alma mater in 2015 after his coaching career flamed out with the 49ers. The former Wolverines quarterback was determined to restore his school to national prominence and dominance, but he won no Big Ten titles in his first six seasons amid frustration from a fan base that expected things to happen sooner.
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Michigan has been elite since 2021, winning three straight conference titles and advancing to three Playoffs. The Wolverines lost their first two semifinals, but they’ve finally reached their sport’s biggest stage after their second consecutive unbeaten regular season.
And they did it this season with Harbaugh serving a pair of three-game suspensions — the second over allegations of sign-stealing and in-game scouting.
