A semifinal College Football Playoff game involving two of the top conferences and teams in the country will take
place at the Rose Bowl. The SEC champion Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Big Ten champion Michigan
Wolverines.
Former Michigan Wolverine Taylor Lewan made a daring prediction on Monday, December 11, saying, “Michigan
should win by double digits,” on X (previously Twitter).
But the lineman’s claim is not supported by the numbers. As of right now, Michigan is favored by 1.5 points in the
game, according to Matt Connolly of ON3.
Lewan thinks Michigan is going to completely crush that figure.
“I saw a lot of movies about the Alabama Crimson Tide over the weekend. I can see that Michigan has superior
coaching and is a superior squad. The 2010s are over, according to the former Tennessee Titan.
Lewan is referring to the fact that Alabama has won five times in college football between 2010 and 2020 (three of
those victories have come since the College Football Playoff was established).
Conversely, Michigan has only made two trips to the College Football Playoffs and has failed to win a championship
in the previous 14 years; both trips ended in the semifinals.
From 2010 to 2013, Lewan played four years as a starter for Michigan. The Wolverines finished 33-19 while he was a
player, but they were unable to capture a Big Ten championship.
Doubts About the Michigan Wolverines by Paul Finebaum
No one is surprised that Paul Finebaum of ESPN chose Alabama over Michigan, according to Connolly. Finebaum, a
graduate of the SEC, is a fervent advocate for the agency.
of Tennessee.
Connolly claims that Finebaum made an appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning” and stated, “I
definitely like Alabama in the game against Michigan.”
The analyst concentrates on the knowledge that he knows on Alabama’s potential. Connolly thinks that “the respect
that many owe to [Alabama head coach] Nick Saban and the Tide” is largely responsible for the spread’s low value.
I’m still a little curious about Michigan because I’m aware of their actions during the Ohio State game. I really don’t
feel good about them, though, except from maybe that and the Penn State game, Finebaum added.
Nick Saban vs. Jim Harbaugh will be one of the key contrasts. According to ESPN’s Sam Block, Harbaugh would be
1-7 in Bowl games if he lost to Alabama, despite Saban having “seven national championships” (six with the Tide).
With the strength of both rosters and programs, Connolly concluded that the Rose Bowl will probably live up to
expectations. Between the two playoff meetings, this one is probably going to be the most watched.
Alabama and Michigan Took Different Routes to Become CFP
Michigan dominated their schedule and began the season as the second-ranked team in the nation. It wasn’t until
Week 9 of their schedule that they faced a rated opponent, defeating Penn State 24–15.
Jim Harbaugh’s three-game ban by the Big Ten was another issue Michigan had to cope with.
After barely defeating an unranked Maryland squad and behind rival Ohio State, the Wolverines fell to No. 3. They
swiftly replied, eliminating Ohio State from the CFP race with a 30–24 victory against the rival No. 2 Buckeyes.
Conversely, Alabama got out to a No. 4 start and quickly found themselves behind. They began the season with a loss
against the Texas Longhorns, which knocked them down to No. 10. But for the remainder of the season, the Crimson
Tide did not drop a game.
Alabama finished 4-1 after playing five ranked opponents this season, including a victory against the top-ranked
Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC championship game that ended their season and eliminated them from the College
Football Playoffs.
“Michigan moved up to the No. 1 spot in the rankings after beating Iowa in the Big Ten championship game,” reads
the ESPN preview.
It was a little more contentious for Alabama, though, as the committee chose to rank the 12-1 team ahead of the 13-0
ACC champion Florida State University at No. 4.
QB Jalen Milroe is credited by ESPN for spearheading the Crimson Tide offense’s noticeable improvement since the
start of the campaign.
ESPN states that Michigan’s defense, which is ranked highly in most major categories, will present a formidable
opponent for that attack.
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