A ‘Bama Beatdown Is Coming Against Michigan

Alabama vs. Michigan, 12:00 ET

Alabama vs. Michigan, 12:00 ET

When you go out to dinner, and you order an appetizer, it is to try and get you ready for consuming some more food later on. It backfires a bit because the appetizers are usually so good that I don’t want a full meal afterwards. However, when it comes to sports, we have a bit of an appetizer on New Year’s Eve to get us ready for some of the College Football playoffs that are coming toward us later. I’m looking forward to the appetizer before the main course once again as we start the day with Alabama facing Michigan. 

Listen, Alabama fans, I get it if you’re butt hurt that the team didn’t make the playoffs. The reality is that while they had some great games, they also had some really bad ones. Here are the teams losses this season: losing at Vanderbilt by five points the week after a major win over Georgia. A loss at Tennessee against a good Volunteer team that did make the playoffs. Finally, the most egregious loss – a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. This was the one that made me, and probably most others, feel like they didn’t deserve to make the Playoff. Is it possible that Alabama would’ve been a better choice than Indiana or some other team that has already been eliminated? Sure. It is also possible that they put up another road stinker and lose a game. All of this to say that I’m not really upset that the team didn’t make the playoff. The majority of Alabama players will be available for this game. They are missing a few defensive players, but I think the team is deep enough to overcome those absences. In this game, the team should want to prove a point and try to not only capture the win, but destroy Michigan. 

Sherrone Moore is the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. What are his contract details? What is his salary? (Credit: USA Today Sports Network)

Last year, Michigan hoisted the National Championship trophy. This year they are playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl. I’d actually venture to say that Michigan is lucky to even be in this bowl with as poorly as they’ve played for the majority of the season. Early in the season, they lost on their home turf to Texas, in what was the first of many losses to a ranked opponent. They also fell to Illinois, Oregon, and Indiana. Their best win of the season came in their last game when they took down Ohio State on the road. The Michigan defense held the Ohio State offense to just 252 total yards. Oddly enough, Michigan’s offense had even fewer yards but were still able to capture the victory. Once again, Michigan won the battle on the ground, sticking to what has worked most for them over the past few years. They were able to rack up 172 rushing yards in the game. It wasn’t a matter of turnovers favoring Michigan in the game either – both teams had two interceptions. This was easily their best win, but still might not have been their best game of the season. 

I mentioned the missing pieces for the Crimson Tide, but Michigan is hurting much worse than Alabama. They will be missing a ton of rushers, their running backs, and starting safety. Running backs can be fairly interchangeable unless they are one of the best in the game. I think there are just too many pieces missing for the Wolverines. I’m going to back Alabama to cover the two-touchdown spread in this one. 

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