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How the Michigan Wolverines were built through recruiting and transfer portal

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

The Michigan Wolverines are in their third consecutive College Football Playoff. They are the top seed in the playoff for the first time and will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl presented by Prudential (Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Michigan was rarely tested this season and cruised through a fairly easy schedule. Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines did it through a powerful rushing attack and salty defense.

How did Michigan get to another semifinal? We look at the Wolverines' recruiting and usage of the transfer portal and how that construction translates to what they do on the field.

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Recruiting | Transfer portal | By the numbers