Season 5 - Episode 15 - Mike talks the 2024 Rose Bowl (Michigan v Alabama) with Prashant "PJ" Jolepalem and Arvind Ramakrishnan

The Talking Friendship with Mike D Podcast

In Episode 15 of Season 5 Mike and his cool California buddies PJ and Arvind talk the 2024 Rose Bowl, the site of Michigan’s now iconic playoff win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Overtime, in one of most memorable Michigan football wins in the history of not only the Michigan program but all of college football.

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Key moments from the pod:

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S5E15 featuring Prashant “PJ” Jolepalem and Arvind Ramakrishnan

2:45: Mike corrects some embarrassing gaffes from past episodes, including misstatements about where in North Carolina he recently visited and his friend Jay Bibby’s citizenship.

4:15: Mike talks (very quickly) about what’s been going on with him, including invoking “res ipsa loquitur” to describe the conversation later in the episode with his buddies PJ and Arvind, and the song that captures the vibe of this legendary game and experience.

10:30: Mike welcomes Prashant and Arvind onto the podcast and they introduce themselves to the listeners and the three trace the origins of their friendship.

17:30: The guys talk about the importance of thinking through “tailgate logistics” ahead of time.

20:30: Next up the guys talk about their thoughts about this Michigan football team coming into the season, looking back on how Michigan got to Pasadena and whether Mike D received a championship ring based on this season.

28:00: The guys talk about what the experience was like leading up to the game itself in Southern California, including meeting up with their good buddy Zach, watching Lions/Cowboys from LA Live and how Mike was fighting a brutal cold (but pushed through!).

33:00: It’s January 1, 2024 aka game day in Pasadena. The guys talk about taking LA public transit up to the game, the Tournament of Roses parade, walking to the Stadium (eschewing the shuttle) and tailgating on the golf course.

40:00: Next the guys head into the stadium itself and begin the tale of what happened in the game itself.

1:19:00: Ecstasy and relief!! Michigan wins and the guys try to describe it.