The College Football Playoff is upon us. After months of speculation about who would end up in college football’s final four — and another month of trying to figure out what will happen in the games once the actual teams were announced — we’ve reached the point where the only thing left to do is have the teams take the field and end the debate themselves.
But that doesn’t mean we are going to stop trying to figure it out before kickoff.
Will Michigan finally get over the hump under Jim Harbaugh and win the College Football Playoff for the first time in three straight appearances (first as a No. 1 seed) on the way to bringing the Wolverines faithful their first national championship since 1997? Will Washington and Michael Penix Jr. continue to prove their doubters wrong while continuing their undefeated season as the No. 2 seed?
No. 3 Texas has already shown it’s “back,” but the Longhorns — just the third Big 12 team to ever make the CFP — might just be all the way back if they can win their first national crown since 2005. And then there’s Alabama, which controversially entered the field at No. 4 over undefeated Florida State and must now prove that decision correct. Will the Crimson Tide reclaim their throne and continue Nick Saban’s streak of winning national titles at least once every three years at Alabama?
We’ll find out soon enough. For now, let’s try to figure out what’ll happen in Monday night’s CFP semifinals on New Year’s Day.
2023 Rose Bowl: (1) Michigan -1.5 vs. (4) Alabama
Spread: The line for this game is on point. All things equal, the outcome of this game is a coin flip. Michigan has been one of the most dominant teams in the country, and while it doesn’t have nearly the same level of postseason success Alabama has experienced under coach Nick Saban, this is not your typical Alabama team. We’ve seen the Crimson Tide struggle against inferior competition at times this season, and the Wolverines defense is legitimate; it will cause the Tide plenty of problems.
Still, I’m not here to sit on the fence, so if I’m going to make a pick, it’s hard to pass up Alabama as an underdog in a College Football Playoff game, no? The Tide have captured three national titles in this format and won more playoff games (nine) than any other program. Michigan is yet to win one despite consecutive appearances. Maybe its first will come in the Rose Bowl against Alabama, but I…
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