Eight recruits from the Michigan football program will be traveling with the Wolverines to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, one of the two semifinal games of the College Football Playoffs (h/t Aaron McMann of MassLive Michigan).

“Ahead of Michigan’s run for the College Football Playoffs, ten players who signed with the Wolverines last Wednesday, Dec. 20, as members of the 2024 recruiting class, enrolled at Michigan and began practicing with the team. Eight of those ten players are traveling with Michigan to the West to play Alabama in Monday’s Rose Bowl (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Michigan football team will face Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday, which should be a difficult match. With Nick Saban as their head coach, the Crimson Tide should never be taken lightly, even though the Wolverines are seeded higher at No. 1 than No. 4 Alabama.

Football from Michigan is prepared to play Alabama.

Observing a high-stakes match between two national powers should provide Wolverines recruits with a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed in college. Since he will be depending on many of Michigan football’s newest recruits to perform well for the team in the near future, Jim Harbaugh probably hopes that the trip to the Rose Bowl will be beneficial for all of them.

Michigan has a 26-0 overall record going into their matchup with the Crimson Tide. The Wolverines believe that now is the right moment to return to Ann Arbor with a national championship.

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Denzel Burke Says Refs Missed “Blatant” Call in ‘The Game’

Ohio State Buckeyes fans are not the only ones who still think about the November 26 loss against the then-No. 3 Michigan Wolverines.

During a press conference ahead of the Buckeyes’ matchup against the No. 9 Missouri Tigers in the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl, cornerback Denzel Burke recalled a crucial ruling from the officials during his team’s most recent bout with the Wolverines.

Trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, Burke found himself trying to ward off a long pass from Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to receiver Roman Wilson. Burke and Wilson jumped into the air fighting for the ball, with the duo coming back down to the turf with an almost-even share of possession.

Burke walked reporters through his thought process following the play, as he and Wilson stood up to hear the ruling from the officials. The Phoenix, Arizona native was sure the referees were going to rule in his favor and was beyond surprised when they did not.

“I’m thinking he’s going to give me the pick like we got a pick in the red zone,” Burke said. “And then I turn around, and I see his hands go up, and I’m like, wow.” Not only did Burke believe the officials had made the incorrect call (which ended up being confirmed by a video review), he thought the correct ruling was obvious. Even if the referees had not granted him the interception, Burke at least thought Wilson should not have been awarded the possession or the points with which it came. “It was blatant,” Burke said. “He didn’t have control of the ball.”