It's been unseasonably warm in Ann Arbor the last few days, but that warmth is relative compared to what Michigan's football team felt when they walked off their plane and down the steps to the tarmac in Miami. When a team descends from an area that locals consider the frozen tundra, weather questions are a natural first thing to ask. Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, however, doesn't see the weather as anything requiring adjustment.

“I think I can play in any kind of weather. I think growing up in northern Nevada, I was able to see all four seasons whether that was playing in 90-degree heat or playing in 20-degree snow," McNamara said upon arrival in Miami last night. "I think the rest of this team just based on playing in Michigan, we’re able to play in all types of weather. I know that in camp especially us, we did really good reps at playing in the heat and the humidity and I think overall we’ll be confident, and we’ll be well acclimated after a whole week of preparation.”

From the weather to the moment itself, nothing this week seems to feel foreign to McNamara.

“Yeah this is what I envisioned when I decided to come here to Michigan. These are the type of games that we commit to. The success that we’re having this season, this is what we envisioned. I’m super excited and I know the rest of the team is for this week and the upcoming events.”

It could be easy for Michigan's players to get distracted this week; after all, the diversions of South Beach are well-documented. On top of that, Michigan already has a banner hung in their practice facility from a championship victory that is just weeks old. This team, different from the start, doesn't seem content to coast to the end of the season.

“I think we’ve honestly done a really good job of picking right up where we left off at the Big Ten Championship over the last couple of weeks in practice. I think as we come back here as the environment shifts just a little bit, I think myself and the other leaders on this team are just going to do the best we can to make sure that that momentum carries into practice because however we practice it’ll reflect to how we play in the game.”

This is a team and individual that knows what is on the line on Friday night and are determined to bypass the siren song of a vacation paradise in pursuit of something more lasting.

“Absolutely, I think being a winning quarterback in the Orange Bowl for Michigan, that would be just a huge accomplishment for myself" McNamara said. "I think also for the rest of this team, winning this game and reaching the goals that we set out for ourselves, this would be a big one for sure.”

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