Alabama football: 4 bold predictions for the Rose Bowl against Michigan

admin | December 29, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Will Alabama reclaim the College Football Playoff national championship with a Rose Bowl victory over Michigan?

Alabama football and Nick Saban are back in the College Football Playoff, facing Jim Harbaugh and Michigan in the Rose Bowl in a semi-final clash, with the winner advancing to the national championship game.

Last season, the No. 4 Crimson Tide (12-1) went only one season without making the playoffs. However, their comeback is not without criticism. After falling to Texas at home in Week 2, the Crimson Tide went on to win 11 straight games, including a crucial victory over then-No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. That victory threw the entire CFP into disarray, prompting the playoff committee to make the contentious decision to leave out a 13-0 ACC Champion Florida State squad in favor of Alabama.

Michigan is no stranger to controversy, but none of that will matter come game time. The Michigan football team will play in their third consecutive CFP semi-final game, but they have yet to win one and advance to the national title game. Alabama has only lost once in seven CFP appearances, when they lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl semi-final in the inaugural year of the postseason.

Most people believe that now that Alabama has made it into the playoffs, it is theirs to take. Will Michigan’s dominant season come to an end in the Granddaddy of them all? Let’s get started with some bold Alabama Rose Bowl predictions.

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Jalen Milroe shows out, scores at least two touchdowns

Milroe, who was benched after Alabama’s loss to Texas, has since returned with a vengeance and is now regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. Milroe has the ability to be an explosive passer and runner. This season, he completed 39 passes of at least 25 yards. Throwing deep balls is one of Milroe’s skills, as if the Iron Bowl wasn’t proof enough. Alabama’s quarterback was responsible for 23 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns. In the Rose Bowl, he’ll get one of each.

Alabama football’s defense gets three sacks and causes two turnovers

When Michigan played Penn State and Ohio State, they faced two of the top three defenses in the country. They only had one sack and one turnover, which was a fumble recovery in those two games. When they visit Alabama, it won’t be another top-3 matchup, but the Crimson Tide still have a top-20 defense rated 17th.

Any defense with Nick Saban’s name on it is likely to be dangerous. This season, the Crimson Tide defense has 38 sacks, which is tied for 10th in the country. They also have 18 takeaways and a +8 turnover margin this season. With both defenses being as strong as they are, that may be the difference in this game. Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has been unstable in the second half of the season, and Alabama will seek to capitalize on that.

Michigan football surprises Alabama and goes up two scores early

The Crimson Tide, unlike the Wolverines, have had to play from behind at times this season. They’ve trailed at some time in nine of their 13 games this season and have only lost one of them, against the Longhorns. They trailed Tennessee 20-7 at halftime before rallying for 24 unanswered points to win 34-20.

It would be stunning to see Michigan grab an early lead and convince everyone that Alabama’s football squad was finished. We’ve thought it too many times this season, and it’s always worked against us.

Alabama beats Michigan, wins Rose Bowl game by 10 to move on to CFP National Championship

According to FanDuel, Michigan is still the favorite over Alabama, but everything points to them being the underdog. A large part of that comes from comparing playoff resumes. Michigan is 0-2 in the College Football Playoff, whereas Alabama is 8-4 with three national championships. Nobody has a resume like that, which may be intimidating for anyone who plays them, even a senior-laden seasoned club like Michigan.

Allowing this Alabama squad into the playoffs was the worst thing that could have happened because now they know they have a chance to return to an all-too-familiar position in the national title game. And it’s a better place than Disneyland.