Experienced Analyst: Why Michigan Will Defeat Alabama

In the opening round of the College Football Playoff, Michigan is now a 1.5-point favorite over Alabama.

That’s certainly a good indication, but it won’t mean anything until the teams play together on the field. Many people regard Alabama and Nick Saban as unbeatable forces, as they were for many years. They are not in 2023. Michigan has been far more consistent than Alabama, and the Wolverines are a strong all-around football team. For these reasons, Pat Forde, a long-time sports journalist and current senior writer at Sports Illustrated, believes Michigan will win come January 1. He doesn’t give an exact score, but he does provide several compelling reasons why the Wolverines will triumph over the Tide.

“As much as Alabama has improved, it has still required big mistakes from its opponents to win its last two games.” Who doesn’t do these things? Michigan. The Wolverines have only had two turnovers in their previous ten games, have been penalized less than three times per game all season, and haven’t missed a field goal since September. Michigan is due to win a playoff game, having developed its program to the point where it can go to the title game.”

Forde is correct. Michigan is one of the most disciplined teams in the league. The Wolverines take excellent care of the ball and do not sabotage their own drives by committing late penalties. This enables an incredibly efficient JJ McCarthy and a serviceable run game to frequently score points. In addition, kicker James Turner has shown to be an absolute stud. The Louisville transfer and Saline native is 16-of-18 on the season and has not missed a field goal attempt since Michigan defeated Rutgers 31-7 on Sept. 23.

Turner has also made three fifty-yard field goals this season, including one against both Ohio State and Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, indicating that he is completely comfortable in pressure situations. His final point is equally significant. After missing the final three regular-season games, Jim Harbaugh returned to the sidelines for the Big Ten Championship game versus Iowa, which was a breeze.

I expect Harbaugh to be as focused as ever for the game against Alabama, which is exactly what Forde means when he says Harbaugh built the program to the point where it can finally get past Alabama and the legend Nick Saban in the first round.