College Football Playoff predictions, odds: Who wins Alabama-Michigan?
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines face off in the Rose Bowl on Monday, Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Which team will win the College Football Playoff game?
Check out these picks, predictions and odds for the game, which is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. MST and can be seen on ESPN (stream with this free trial from FUBO).
Alabama (12-1 overall, 8-0 in SEC) is coming off a 27-24 win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Michigan (13-0, 9-0 in Big Ten) is coming off a 26-0 win against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Michigan is a 1-point favorite over Alabama in the game, according to College Football Playoff semifinal odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Wolverines are -120 on the moneyline. The Crimson Tide are +100.
The over/under for the game is set at 45.5 points.
Sports Illustrated: Take Michigan in Rose Bowl vs. Alabama
Pat Forde writes: "As much as Alabama has improved, it has still needed its opponents to make big mistakes to win its last two games. The Crimson Tide needed Auburn to fumble a punt and then follow that up with a disastrous defensive scheme on fourth-and-31. They also needed Georgia to fumble a reverse deep in its own territory and doink a field goal off the upright after a pre-snap penalty. Guess who doesn’t do those things? Michigan. The Wolverines have committed two turnovers in their last 10 games, have been penalized fewer than three times per game this season and haven’t missed a kick since September. I’m expecting this to be fairly low scoring, with both defenses making things hard on the dynamic quarterbacks in the game. Lost beneath the controversy of the season is this: Michigan is due to win a playoff game, having built its program to the point where it can take the next step and make the championship game."
CBS Sports: Go with Alabama in College Football Playoff game against Michigan
Dennis Dodd writes: "The Wolverines have proven resilient to, well, everything. They used the dual NCAA investigations/suspensions featuring their coach as inspiration. Hey, whatever gets you to a national championship, right? To prove it belongs, Alabama has to win this game -- maybe the whole thing -- doesn't it? Nick Saban has won six straight CFP semifinal games in which Bama has competed. In what should be a Rose Bowl classic that goes down to the final 5 minutes, take Alabama."
ESPN: Michigan has a 55.9% chance to beat Alabama
The site gives the Crimson Tide a 44.1% shot at defeating the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.
Sporting News: Alabama 26, Michigan 23
Bill Bender writes: "Jalen Milroe averaged 220.2 passing yards with 10 TDs and one interception in Alabama's last five games, and he's up against the top-scoring defense in the FBS. Which team generates a running game and sustains that in the second half? J.J. McCarthy will make it interesting, but how will Michigan's offensive line hold up against an Alabama pass rush that features Dallas Turner? Alabama is 3-1 S/U as an underdog in the CFP era. You just can't give that card to Nick Saban."
College Football News: Michigan 26, Alabama 20
Pete Fiutak writes: "Whether it was 2016 Clemson that played like it couldn’t rest until it had another shot at Bama, or 2020 Ohio State that totally lost its mind at the idea of a global pandemic possibly keeping it from righting the perceived wrong in the epic Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson, to the 2020 Bama team that went scorched earth after going two seasons without a national title, this Michigan team seems to have that same laser focus. And it’s not just because of the Michigan vs Everybody thing. It’s because of the embarrassing face-plant against TCU. My issues with 2023 Bama are the same as 2022, and definitely 2021. That '21 team was obviously outstanding, and it almost won the national title, but we all know what BAMA looks like (2020, 2015, 2011). 2023 Michigan isn’t 2021 Cincinnati."
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