The most interesting part of Alabama's Rose Bowl matchup with Michigan is the juxtaposition of two coaches who are defiant in their beliefs.
The identities of Jim Harbaugh's Michigan team and Nick Saban's Alabama team aren't ambiguous. They are the heads of the two all-time winningest programs in the sport, and they remain on top by prioritizing crisp, efficient and mistake-free football.
Michigan has just five turnovers on the year, its 3.2 points per drive is No. 6 nationally, and it has the fewest plays that go for zero or negative yards outside of the service academies, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Wolverines also have committed the fourth fewest penalties in the country.
Michigan's identity comes from its power run game, the dedication of which showed against Penn State when it famously ran 32 consecutive times against one of the nation's top run defenses.
"Michigan forces you to be so patient and be so bored sometimes," said an opposing coach. "That's what they're so good at. What they make you do is they make you feel like the game is way shorter. And then you make the game shorter because you rush. You maybe do things outside of what you [normally] do."
Saban rarely gets outside of himself on game day. And Alabama has another collection of mesmerizing stars on defense, starting with the country's top pairing of cornerbacks -- Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold -- to go along with elite edge rusher Dallas Turner.
McKinstry has allowed just nine completions on 28 attempts this season and a lone touchdown, per ESPN Stats & Info. Arnold has been one of the SEC's most improved players.
"I've never seen a team cover so well. They are Velcro," said an opposing coach. "We couldn't create separation on them. And their back end is what we really worried about. They are so sound, you aren't going to get big ones."
Could this be a sound-off, if you will? Two teams that pride themselves on the NFL ethos of solid play, eliminating mistakes and forcing the opponent out of what they do best.
Who will blink first? We asked a dozen head coaches and assistants about the keys to the game.
Will a recent Michigan strength be a weakness?
The ugly injury to Michigan All-American guard Zak Zinter in the Ohio State game -- a broken tibia and fibula -- could loom large.
Michigan's offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for the country's best unit in both 2021 and 2022. The recalibrated version in 2023 has been generally good, but has shown cracks. Zinter was, by far, Michigan's best offensive lineman, was named first-team All-American and projected as the line's best NFL draft prospect, according to scouts.
Zinter's departure may take some perceived vulnerabilities and magnify them. Penn State had one sack and one pressure against Michigan, as J.J. McCarthy had just eight pass attempts. Opposing coaches point to that game as a showcase of Michigan's struggles in blocking the edge.
For the Big Ten title game against Iowa, Zinter's injury moved tackle Karsen Barnhart inside to right guard, which left veteran Trente Jones as the starter at right tackle. One coach who watched that Iowa game summed it up this way: "The right side isn't very good, and neither is the center."
The revamped right side led to a dismal offensive performance against Iowa, which included 1.9 yards per carry and 66 total rushing yards. Iowa has one of the country's top defenses, but the inertia planted seeds of concern.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, that's the worst rushing performance by Michigan since the 2020 COVID-19 season when Michigan went 2-4. The total yards were the lowest since a loss to Wisconsin that year and the yards per carry the worst since losing to Indiana the same season.
"They're not the same as they've been up front," said one opposing coach. "They really struggled to block in the pass game, it's a weakness. The run game is good to solid, but just not dominant like last year. That's why their running numbers are down this year.
"Flip on the Penn State game. They couldn't block [Chop Robinson or Adisa Isaac] and they knew it. That's why they ran the ball, they'd risk turnovers if they dropped back and passed."
Can Alabama exploit Michigan up front?
Alabama's Dallas Turner generated most of his production this year lining up over the left tackle, as 8.5 of his 9 sacks came from the right side of the defense, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Turner's presence on that side leaves Michigan with an interesting choice on offense. If they help chip with Turner to the strong side of Michigan's offensive line -- one coach told ESPN he wishes in retrospect they'd chipped more -- are they illuminating the glaring weakness on the right side?
What makes Turner special?
"The way he plays with his hands," said one opposing coach. "How experienced he is, and he knows how to defeat the offensive line. He can get skinny and is slippery. He's got good ability to close on the quarterback. You can get your hands on him once-in-a-while. He can make a play a game."
Added another coach: "He's the best edge guy we played this year. I think he's a better pass-rusher than Will Anderson. He's playing really well right now."
Could extra attention on Turner leave outside linebacker Chris Braswell poised for a big day? He's been most productive over the right side of the opposing offense, as 5.5 of his 8 sacks have come at left outside linebacker.
On the interior, Alabama has prototype road graders like Jaheim Oatis (6-foot-5, 320) and Tim Keenan III (6-foot-2, 315). They also have a deep tackle rotation. "They are all clones," one coach said. "They are just big run stoppers."
So can Michigan's revamped offensive line create room to run against Alabama? Both Michigan tailbacks -- Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards -- have taken steps back this year. Corum, coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2022, is averaging more than one yard fewer per carry (4.7 from 5.9), but he does have a career-high 24 touchdowns. Edwards' 3.5 yards per carry are half of the 7.1 he averaged last year.
One wrinkle opposing coaches noted is that Michigan will enter the game with a handful of new run plays, leaving opposing defenses scrambling to adjust as the Wolverines grind out long drives with unfamiliar looks and schemes.
"The backs for Michigan, we said they were both just good backs," said another opposing coach. "We never once said, 'These are the two best backs we'll see.' They are not backs where you're going to base game-plan around them.
"You can see Corum isn't the same. Whatever it's blocked for, he's going to get it. If it's six yards, he gets six yards and gets tackled. That's what an injury does."
What are Michigan's antidotes to Jalen Milroe's dual threat?
Michigan nickelback Mike Sainristil is the antithesis of a mock draft all-star. He's a converted wide receiver who profiles physically as the type of player teams would typically exploit, as he's 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds.
In reality, he looms as the key player in slowing Milroe's run game. As the season went on, defensive coaches who played Alabama noted more designed quarterback runs to accentuate Milroe's skill set.
Could Sainristil be a key in slowing down that quarterback run game by providing help off the edge?
"He's like Mighty Mouse," said an opposing coach. "He makes it all go, for sure. He's pesky and tougher than you want him to be. He makes every tackle. He's a phenomenal college football player. He's the kind of guy you want on your team. He's the heartbeat and so versatile."
Sainristil's best attribute is that he's a sure tackler. And he'll be asked to do that a lot, in part because the strength of Michigan's defense is the tackles. The difference between the SEC and everyone else has long been the interior defensive linemen, but there's an argument that Michigan's inside defensive players are more stout.
Sophomore Mason Graham is 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds, and he's been productive enough that Big Ten coaches voted him first-team all-league. (He'll be high up on many 2025 mock drafts.) Senior Kris Jenkins (6-foot-3, 305 pounds) projects as one of Michigan's top draftable players in the upcoming draft,` and sophomore Kenneth Grant (6-foot-3, 339) is so athletic he went viral for chasing down Penn State tailback Kaytron Allen from behind.
"They cycle in guys," said an opposing coach, "who do a great job with their hands. They are really, really well coached and play so damn hard. It's a real compliment to them."
Michigan's interior linemen do a similar job eliminating runs between the tackles. Alabama's offensive line has improved this season after being a glaring liability early in the year, as they are No. 115 nationally with 3.3 sacks allowed per game. Can Michigan stymie them up front?
"Those guys are two gappers," said the coach. "They are asked at the snap to attach themselves to the guards and take away the A and B gap. Two guys taking away four gaps, on a white board doesn't make sense. But football isn't played on white board."
The soft spot in Michigan's defense is that they are no longer elite rushing on the edge. As Milroe has become more comfortable dropping back, he won't have huge concerns about getting harassed by Michigan's defensive ends.
"On third down, you don't have to worry, they aren't close to what they've been in years past," said another coach. "They don't pose a threat there. They aren't a huge pressure team, anyway. The guy they like to blitz the most is Sainristil. Looking at him, it doesn't make sense. But he's effective."
Can J.J. McCarty get Michigan going?
It's hard to pick against McCarthy. He's 25-1 as a starter and has shown moxie, versatility and delivers in big games.
He's played at a consistently elite level and will face a compelling decision on whether to enter the NFL draft as a true junior when Michigan's season ends.
"What McCarthy does in the pass game can go unnoticed," said an opposing defensive coach. "He moves defensive backs with his eyes and shoulders just enough to open up a window to slide the ball in there. He can move around and create with his feet to allow the wide receivers to get open down the field."
McCarthy is a perfect fit for a system that's predicated on balance, unpredictability and patience. Multiple opposing coaches noted that they watched their counterparts blitz themselves into deficits, as they couldn't remain patient and allowed McCarthy to exploit numeric situations.
"The thing with him, he knows and he's never rattled," said another opposing coach. "I think that's his best attribute. He knows what's coming, where he's attacking and who will be the open guy. He knows what defensive back he's looking at to exploit."
The thing coaches wonder about Michigan's pass game is whether the receivers will be able to get open. Roman Wilson is a high-end wide-out who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, but there's a drop-off from there as Cornelius Johnson is solid and productive but unspectacular.
"Alabama is elite on defense, and I think the only way you win is you get open at wide receiver," said an opposing coach. "I don't see Michigan being able to do that. Alabama will find a way to score 28 points. I just don't see Michigan controlling the game and pushing Alabama off the ball."
Another coach described McCarthy as: "He's not just a point guard, he's an All-Star who can score 30 or have 20 assists. He's the ultimate leader, with poise beyond belief."
Who is Michigan's X-Factor?
Opposing coaches gushed about Michigan sophomore tight end Colston Loveland, a sophomore from Idaho who projects as one of the top tight ends in the country for the 2025 NFL draft. He finished this year with 40 catches, 572 yards and four touchdowns.
"He could be the Brock Bowers of next year," said one opposing coach. "He's not only a huge target across the middle, he's athletic enough to stretch you vertically. He really scared us."
There's a pick-your-poison element for opposing defensive coordinators against the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Loveland. Against Ohio State in 2022, Loveland scored a 45-yard touchdown on a vertical route. He played his best this season against the Buckeyes as well, grabbing five catches for 88 yards to lead the Wolverines in both categories. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors this year.
"He's a legitimate matchup problem," said an opposing coach. "He'll win a battle on a linebacker nine-of-10 times. He'll beat a safety six or seven times out of 10. But if you put a true cover guy on him, now they run the football, and [Loveland] can block that [defensive back]. He creates match-up problems that Alabama is going to have to deal with. He allows them to stay in run personnel and still throw the football, because you can't change into nickel because you know they are going to throw it. They are still in 12 personnel with two tight ends, and they can throw out of it."
There's few tight end duos as imposing as Michigan, as Loveland is flanked by Indiana transfer AJ Barner, who was honorable mention All Big Ten and caught eight balls for 99 yards against Michigan State earlier this year. Both are distinctly better than Alabama's best tight end.
Final thought
The crossroads of Alabama's season may have come in their game with Texas A&M. The Aggies employed a game plan Michigan could certainly borrow from, as they spied Milroe with speedy All-American linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. (Georgia at times rushed just three and tried to contain Milroe with two spies.)
Alabama couldn't move the ball on the ground, as they ended the first quarter with negative rushing yards. Texas A&M led 17-10 at halftime. The Aggies employed a strategy multiple coaches predicted Michigan will use against Alabama -- make Milroe beat you playing quarterback from the pocket.
Alabama lacks an alpha at tailback, and their receivers have improved much over the season. But in that Texas A&M game, Milroe proved he could beat a team with his arm. He completed 10-of-13 passes in the third quarter, including a pair of touchdowns to Jermaine Burton.
Alabama never established the run game that day, finishing with just 23 yards. Milroe threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
"He came out in that game and it was when he really started to throw a lot more effectively," said a coach who studied Alabama this season. "To their credit and his credit, he responded. He made throws that a lot of people didn't think he could make. He responded and adapted."
As the season has gone on, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has adapted to what Milroe can do well. He can certainly run the ball as effectively as anyone at his position, but he's evolved in the pass game while limiting the debilitating turnovers that undermined Alabama in the home loss to Texas.
Can Michigan's talented secondary -- highlighted by frontline corner Will Johnson -- and savvy playcaller Jesse Minter lure Milroe into crucial mistakes?
Multiple coaches projected a low-scoring game, as these teams are so conditioned to play mistake-free that it could lead to conservative play.
"Alabama can't get bored," said a coach. "If they allow themselves to get bored, it's going to be a long day. I think that's the difference."