As Michigan is counting down the days until it departs for Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, the mindset and outlook of the overall season doesn't change even when the program is neck-deep in preparation for Alabama.

Heading into the season, U-M running back Blake Corum wasn't shy about his expectations for this season and how this year will be viewed from a success or failure standpoint.

He said before the season started that he had a "natty or bust" mentality for this season.

Now, with the team heading into the College Football Playoff, and after all that happened this season, do the sentiments stay the same?

"Most definitely," Corum told reporters on Thursday. "I stand on that and I said it at the beginning of the year. For me, it's natty or bust. We're that close. Find a way to get over that hump and I think we will. I think we have the recipe, so now it's just about being where our feet are these next couple of days until we leave for Cali. When we get to Cali, still be where our feet are until January 1st. Making sure we're just precise. We can't make any mistakes. I still stand on that statement."

The path to a national championship won't be easy, as the Wolverines will face a hungry Alabama team that was under the microscope of whether or not it should even be in the playoff to begin with.

The Crimson Tide has been one of the gold-standard programs in this era of the CFP. Having made multiple appearances and winning multiple championships, the script of the Wolverines being the number-one team in the country has flipped with Nick Saban's success in the playoffs.

Corum has heard the noise and has heard that many are doubtful the Wolverines can win the game.

Despite that, he is heading into the game with the mindset that the Wolverines are the team to beat and need to be knocked off the top spot.

"They flipped it from the jump," Corum said. "As soon as they announced that we would be playing Alabama I feel like they flipped it from the jump. You know, it's fine, it's people's opinions and what they think. We're going into it, as I said last time, as the top dog. We are the number one team in the nation and we're going to treat it as such. Alabama is a great team. After watching film, they're coached really well. Defense flies around so it's definitely going to be a challenge we're super excited for. We love a good challenge. We're still the top dog and that's how we're going in."

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram