Michigan knows what it takes to endure a grueling Big Ten schedule, vanquish its biggest rivals and go all the way to the conference's biggest stage and win it.

Heading to Indianapolis and competing for the Big Ten Championship is something the Wolverines had never done previously since the inception of the game. Now, the precedent is set, and the expectation is to head back there and compete for it a second year in a row.

According to quarterback Cade McNamara, who appeared on the In the Trenches podcast last week, it doesn't mean the Wolverines are pre-ordained heading into the season. There's nothing given to them being the reigning champs.

The slate is wiped completely clean and the work starts all over again.

"What we did last year was great," McNamara said. "One day, all of us are going to reflect on that season and how great it was. What we've been really preaching is that was Team 142. This is Team 143. Team 143 hasn't accomplished anything. We haven't won anything, we haven't won a single game. That mentality of not relying on what we've done in the past is huge for our team because, yes, we were able to prove some people wrong last year. We were able to accomplish our goals, almost all of our goals last season. That was Team 142.

"Now, it's Team 143's job to make sure that it wasn't a fluke with Team 142 in that we carry the mentality, we carry that tradition of winning on to this season. That's going to be really important for us."

The fortunate part for Team 143 is that the team is returning a good majority of the players who were on the roster from last year. Of course, the Wolverines lost some key leaders from a vocal standpoint.

However, the experience that is returning has a strong baseline to reach moving forward.

"I think the experience level of not just me but the majority of our team now has," McNamara said. "Being in different situations in the game. That level of confidence of being able to perform and succeed and no matter the atmosphere or the situation we find ourselves in, it was a huge perspective that we were able to gain last season.

"Being there, and doing that, as a team, playing well through those times, we're just trying to implement that mentality and those habits even more into this season and stacking what we already know on top of what we're doing to get better."

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