College Football Playoff 2023-24: Odds, Schedule and Predictions for Semifinals
The four College Football Playoff participants all have storied histories of winning, but only the Alabama Crimson Tide achieved a high level of success in the playoff era.
Alabama's playoff success combined with its SEC Championship Game win over the Georgia Bulldogs makes it a fascinating underdog against the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan has been in the playoff in each of the last two seasons, but it has not gotten past the semifinal stage.
The 2024 playoff appears to be Jim Harbaugh's best chance to win the national championship with Michigan, and despite being a small favorite over Alabama, the Wolverines are best equipped to deal with the test from the Crimson Tide.
The Texas Longhorns and Washington Huskies have one previous playoff appearance between the two programs.
The current iterations of the programs, led by Quinn Ewers and Michael Penix Jr., will try to write a new chapter in their team's histories by way of a strong performance in the Sugar Bowl.
Ewers and Penix are expected to put on an offensive show in New Orleans, and that makes the over a far more intriguing bet in the second of the two national semifinals.
Monday, January 1 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Michigan resides in the best position to advance to its first CFB Playoff National Championship Game.
The Wolverines barely showed any flaws throughout the regular season and conquered their two biggest tests with relative ease.
Michigan controlled its win over the Penn State Nittany Lions and was in the lead for a majority of its win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Big Ten champion will attempt to play from the lead again in the Rose Bowl through its dominant rushing attack and strong defense.
Michigan will not make many adjustments to its game plan before New Years' Day. It has a clear identity that features a heavy dose of Blake Corum on offense and a defense that does not allow many points.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has not been perfect this season. One mistake or two could cost the Crimson Tide more in the Rose Bowl because the Wolverines can turn them into points off long drives.
Milroe owns a single 300-yard passing performance this season and completed just 56.5 percent of his passes in the SEC Championship Game.
The sophomore quarterback failed to complete over 70 percent of his passes in five of his last six games.
Of course, Milroe displayed the ability to make some big throws in clutch moments, like his game-winning throw against the Auburn Tigers, but there is a reason the Crimson Tide were in that situation to begin with.
Alabama lacked the killer instinct that previous Tide teams possessed and that Michigan currently has, and if the team that displayed flaws throughout the regular season shows up in Pasadena, Michigan can take full advantage of that.
The Wolverines are also more motivated to pick up a playoff victory after suffering playoff semifinal losses in each of the last two seasons. That may be the extra bit of motivation that pushes the Wolverines in front for good at the Rose Bowl.
Monday, January 1 (8:45 p.m. ET)
Texas and Washington are coming off their best defensive performances of the season, but offense could be the big story at the Sugar Bowl.
The Longhorns held the Oklahoma State Cowboys to 21 points and 281 total yards in the Big 12 Championship Game, while the Huskies contained the Oregon Ducks to 10 first-half points in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Both defenses allowed Ewers and Penix to create separation on the scoreboard with their abundance of offensive weapons.
The high level of talent at wide receiver on both rosters could have the advantage over both defenses in New Orleans.
Ewers has Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy to work with, while Rome Odunze at Washington is arguably the best wide receiver not named Marvin Harrison Jr. in college football.
Each offense also possesses a 1,000-yard running back. Texas' Jonathan Brooks and Washington's Dillon Johnson combined for 2,252 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
Texas eclipsed the 30-point mark in 11 of its 13 games and Washington hit that milestone in 10 of its 13 contests.
The two defenses may come up with key stops in certain parts of the Sugar Bowl, but it is hard to imagine Ewers and Penix will be quiet for a bulk of the four quarters.
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