Michigan vs. Alabama: Rose Bowl preview, best bets, and promos
The two winningest schools in college football history will get together in the Rose Bowl for the first of two College Football Playoff Semifinals. Michigan enters this game undefeated and Alabama finds itself in the CFP after dethroning Georgia 27-24 for the SEC Championship. The Wolverines are a slight favorite across the top Michigan sportsbooks for the Rose Bowl. Oddsmakers expect a close game.
Odds below are courtesy of BetMGM.
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McCarthy was hobbled down the stretch with a leg injury. The question is whether or not a month off has helped fully heal him. In McCarthy’s first seven games this season, where he was looking like a legitimate Heisman candidate, he threw for 14 touchdowns and averaged 10.6 yards per attempt. Over his final six games, he threw for just five touchdowns with an average of 7.7 yards per attempt.
We know what to expect from Michigan’s defense. They led FBS in average starting field position on both offense and defense. They had 24 takeaways compared to just five offensive turnovers.
It could come down to how much success Blake Corum and the run game can have against an Alabama defense loaded with pro talent. Corum led FBS with 24 rushing touchdowns and is tied for the most rushing touchdowns in Michigan history with 55. But the Wolverines averaged 4.27 yards per carry, 72nd in FBS.
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For someone who was benched earlier this season and was told he should switch positions by his offensive coordinator, Milroe has put together an elite season as the Alabama quarterback. The fleet-footed Milroe can do it with his arm, throwing for 28 touchdowns and just five total turnovers. Milroe threw touchdowns in 10 of the 12 games he played. In the other two, he rushed for six total scores.
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The offensive line does have issues, and Milroe was sacked too many times. That could be an issue against the top defense in the country. If the front five can give Milroe time to either scramble or throw deep (where he also excels), Alabama has a good chance to win its seventh semifinal game in the CFP era.
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Both of these teams had amazing seasons and are led by outstanding head coaches. This pick ultimately comes down to coaching, and we have more faith in Nick Saban devising a better game plan on the big stage than Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh and Michigan have struggled in the CFP and bowl games in general, failing to cover the spread in their previous six bowl games, the second-worst active streak in the country. While this is the Wolverines third straight CFP appearance, they have not yet gotten over the hump and reached the national championship.
Alabama, on the other hand, has felt very comfortable in the CFP, with Michigan coaches going so far as to refer to it as the “Alabama Invitational”. Alabama is in the playoff for the eighth time in its 10 years of existence. To date, they are 6-1 in semifinal games and 9-4 overall. Another reason to like the Crimson Tide in this spot is that Saban has thrived as an underdog in his career, going 7-3-1 in such spots at Alabama. Finally, and perhaps most telling of all, Saban has never gone three years without bringing a national title back to Tuscaloosa. All signs point in the Tide’s direction.
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Milroe exceeded this total in nine of 12 starts, averaging 226.5 passing yards per game. None of those opponents were quite as good as Michigan, but he eclipsed this total in four of his five matchups against ranked teams. Milroe is an elite deep-ball thrower, so all it takes is one or two big plays and he will be well on his way to winning you money at DraftKings.
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