Michigan players to know ahead of the College Football Playoff

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What a season it has been in Ann Arbor. 

The Michigan Wolverines were without head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of the 2023 college football season after the program self-imposed a punishment amid an NCAA investigation into alleged violations during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period. 

Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Stadium Sept. 23, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich.  (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Michigan went 3-0 without Harbaugh. 

Then the sign-stealing scandal that took the sport by storm resulted in Harbaugh missing the final three games of the regular season after the Big Ten suspended him. 

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The Wolverines again went 3-0 without Harbaugh. 

And now Michigan faces Alabama in its third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff with Harbaugh on the sidelines. 

Let’s take a look at a few Michigan players to watch as the Wolverines prepare for Alabama in the CFP. 

For a few weeks during the regular season, J.J. McCarthy was in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race. Heading into week 9, McCarthy and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. were the betting favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook. 

And while McCarthy’s Heisman hype quickly faded, the Michigan quarterback is known for the most important stat in sports — winning. 

McCarthy is 25-1 since taking over as the starter in 2022 and has the Wolverines in the CFP for the third straight season, his second as the starter. 

McCarthy has not had to be great for Michigan for the Wolverines to win, but he’ll have to have one