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The New Year’s Eve ReliaQuest Bowl is hours away from kickoff and will feature the Alabama Crimson Tide facing the Michigan Wolverines at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Kalen DeBoer’s first year as head coach of Alabama was a season of upsets and unexpected victories. The Crimson Tide, despite a rollercoaster season, managed to secure some significant wins, including a 41-34 win over Georgia, wrapping up the regular season with a 9-3 record. Quarterback Jalen Milroe had an outstanding season, with a completion rate of 65.9%, 2,652 passing yards, and 15 touchdowns.
The defending national champions, the Wolverines, are facing a different postseason scenario this year under the leadership of new head coach Sherrone Moore. Despite the challenges, they achieved an impressive 13-10 victory against their rivals, Ohio State, which was a surprising moment of triumph. Quarterback Davis Warren has had a notable performance this season, completing 63.4% of his passes for 1,126 yards and six touchdowns.
Follow live for all the action from the ReliaQuest Bowl as Alabama faces off against Michigan.
When is the ReliaQuest Bowl between Alabama and Michigan?
The ReliaQuest Bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines kicks off at noon at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
How to watch Alabama and Michigan in ReliaQuest Bowl
The ReliaQuest Bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.
Watch Alabama take on Michigan with a Fubo subscription
The Alabama Crimson Tide are favorites to defeat the Michigan Wolverines, according to BetMGM.
Odds as of Monday, Dec. 31
Spread: Alabama (-14.5)Moneyline: Alabama (-650); Michigan (+450)Over/under: 43.5USA TODAY: Alabama is unanimous pickScooby Axon: AlabamaJordan Mendoza: AlabamaPaul Myerberg: AlabamaErick Smith: AlabamaEddie Timanus: AlabamaDan Wolken: AlabamaESPN: Alabama 30, Michigan 17
Staff writes: “Coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama won’t end in the CFP. How many of the Crimson Tide’s top players will join him in Tampa? Alabama’s opt-outs and portal entries will be a storyline through December, and Michigan also could have some, as the Wolverines have more high-level NFL draft prospects on this year’s team than last year’s national championship squad. The Tide still will have a significant edge on offense in the matchup, and Michigan might need an Ohio State-like performance to keep pace. Michigan’s run game keeps things close for a half, but Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard eventually get loose as Alabama pulls away.”
Sports Illustrated: Alabama
James Park writes: “Alabama -11.5 … Michigan has some bodies up front defensively who can contest the Tide’s blockers on the line, but Alabama has too many skill threats who can get behind the Wolverines’ secondary.”
BetMGM: Alabama
Staff writes: “The winning team model predicts Alabama will win this game with 79.4% confidence, based on game simulations, offensive & defensive matchups and recent game results. This winning team prediction factors in up-to-date player injuries for both Alabama and Michigan, key player performances this season and recent team trends.”
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ expert picks for all of the college football bowl games.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines have faced off six times in their history. The Crimson Tide and Wolverines share a 3-3 record in the series.
Michigan beat Alabama 27-20 in their last matchup on Jan. 1, 2024.
College football bowl season began Dec. 14 and will run through Jan. 20 with the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta. Click here for the schedule of all upcoming bowls, including the College Football Playoff, and the results of already completed games.
We’ll begin with a couple of stipulations. First, we’ll operate under the assumption that all the first-round playoff games, as well as the quarterfinal and semifinal bowl contests, will be appointment viewing anyway, so they won’t be included in this exercise. We’ll also add that while some matchups look attractive in terms of records and rankings, whether the games will turn out to be good hinges upon which key players actually show up. We also recognize that your interest in a particular game might differ based upon your rooting interest.
We try to put these in order of what we think will have the highest entertainment value, but circumstances can change before the games kick off. Click here for our watchability rankings for all 35 non-playoff bowls. — Eddie Timanus
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Publish date : 2024-12-31 01:15:00
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