While Michigan can point to the rankings and say it’s the No. 1 team in the country, that hasn’t stopped some folks (and oddsmakers) on the outside from casting doubt.
The college football world is abuzz again, openly wondering if the Wolverines can finally get it done on the playoff stage come Jan. 1, when they’re set to play SEC champion Alabama in the Rose Bowl (5 p.m., ESPN). Bookmakers currently have Michigan as a slight 1 1/2-point favorite, but it’s not exactly the kind of line you’d expect for a one-versus-four matchup.
Adding further insult to injury, Michigan players and coaches have had to answer questions all week about the Crimson Tide and their perceived advantage, having made eight College Football Playoff appearances and won three national titles since 2014.
We’re here and now it’s on us to try and get further than we have (the semifinals) and reach our ultimate destination,” Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. “It doesn’t guarantee that, but I think our mentality of feeling hungry, feeling like we’re the underdog, (will help). This is the Alabama Invitational.
Minter’s use of play-on words was not intended to be a swipe. Rather, it was a realization that Alabama — and by extension, the SEC — has dominated the CFP in recent years. Under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide are an impressive 6-1 in semi-final round games and have more titles than any other team in the country. And while their last CFP title game appearance in 2021 ended in a loss, it came at the hands of Georgia — whose streak of back-to-back national championships was ended earlier this month by, you guessed it, Alabama.
