Michigan #1 Overall, Draws Alabama In Rose Bowl
Well: the committee left out 13-0 Florida State in favor of Alabama, which upset Georgia in the SEC championship game, and Michigan draws them. Alabama's not your usual Alabama team, having struggled for sizeable chunks of the season. They're literally tied with FSU in SP+ at 23.7; Michigan is at 32.1. Bama enters with the #11 offense and #9 defense; Michigan is 10 and 1.
Alabama is 12-1, with a ten-point loss at home to Texas and a series of narrow wins over South Florida (17-3), Texas A&M (26-20), Arkansas (24-21), Auburn (27-24) and Georgia (27-24). They hammered LSU, Mississippi State, and Kentucky and have two-TD wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee.
More analysis to follow. There is no content after the jump.
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
M playing for M. Screw the big 10. I'd tape over the logo for the game.
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:18 PM ^
Fair enough - it's put up or shut up time for MICHIGAN!
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:56 PM ^
FSU will be the biggest Michigan fans in history.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:23 PM ^
Fandom revenge sure makes for strange bedfellows.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
Beat Alabama
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
Florida State got fucked. I mean, they are UNDEFEATED. What the hell more do you have to do to get in? And for TWO one-loss teams to get in over them? That's a big middle finger to them.
What a joke. The SEC ass suckage continues.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
The CFP Committee hypocrisy is that they selected OH State to jump into the first 4 team playoff with what was their QB3 in 2014.
In this case, a previous #4 CFP FSU rank falls out after winning their conference championship game and did it with a QB3.
While it doesn't make sense, it does because the cardinal rule is to never leave out an SEC conference champ.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
I think the difference there might have been that Ohio's QB3 had a 3-TD, 0-INT day in the BTCCG and that they beat Wisco 59-0. Meyer has been quoted as saying he ran up the score on purpose to improve their chances of getting in, and he was right.
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
That OSU team had a LOSS. A bad loss, at home to a 6-6 team.
That is the key difference, not the 59-0 over a mediocre Wisconsin team. OSU needed style points because they had a loss, FSU doesn't have a loss.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
You can’t have players get hurt i.e. how good are your players. Essentially Alabama’s players are better quality than FSU’s even though together as a team, they are not based on W/L.
It’s a fucking joke and if I’m FSU, somebody owes me a damn explanation.
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:07 PM ^
Not only is FSU undefeated, they also beat two SEC teams in their non-conference games
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
I love that Michigan is in it, but this is the worst postseason in all of sports. It's so idiotic it's 2023 and there isn't a real playoff when every other level of football has one.
Thankfully, it's FINALLY being fixed next year.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:58 PM ^
“Thankfully, it's FINALLY being fixed next year.”
Bahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
It's great that they are expanding, but I doubt that this change will remove drama from the process. The playoff will continue to be flawed due to the influence of a room full of people making the decision on who gets in or not.
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:12 PM ^
On top of that, next year, you can bet there will be bellyaching about the bottom of the brackets, i.e. who got in and who got left out. People will complain.
Beat Bama!
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:27 PM ^
In the format the initial 12-team cfp will have there won't be such huge debates over who's #12 vs #13. No one outside their own fanbase will think they had any shot.
The great debates will be 4 vs 5 (bye vs no bye) and 8 vs 9 ( host game vs travel).
My personal feeling is I'd rather Michigan be seeded 5 than 4. I'd rather host a game than have a bye.
In fact I predict it will be just as common in the cfp for teams hosting 1st round games to make the final as teams having a bye.
Like baseball wildcards, the teams that keep playing are sharper than those who rested.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:38 PM ^
A bye is like an automatic win. And one less game of wear and tear.
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:15 PM ^
The new 12-team College Football Playoff field will include the six highest-ranked conference champions, which will receive automatic bids. The top four teams will receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals.
The six highest-ranked teams remaining will round out the 12-team format.
Of course there is still influence in this ranking, but conference champs getting an auto-bid take a ton away from what they will actually decide.
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:46 PM ^
I won’t be fixed. Let’s say Michigan has 2 losses next year but they are both to top 10 teams. They could easily be outside of the top 12 due to several teams with 0 to 1 losses and others with 2 losses as well. A couple of 2 loss SEC teams for example. Look at this year, Missouri and Ole Miss have two losses, would they have gotten in over Michigan in a 12 team format if Michigan had lost to Penn St and Ohio St? I’d almost guarantee they would have. It’ll get the best teams in there for sure, because outside of the top 6, there isn’t a true contending team to run the playoffs, but it won’t fix the controversy. Look at the ncaa tournament. They have play in games and people still point to teams that didn’t make the field.
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:58 PM ^
I like all the drama and controversary.
At least next year it will be about teams that are not going to win it all anyway.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
#1 Meeechigan vs 'Bama. I like the matchup. Brian is correct about this is not a vintage 'Bama team.
HELLO PASADENA! It's been a long time (Rock group Boston song- circa 1976).
Lots to discuss in the coming days and weeks about this game.
I like the 5PM kickoff. There is a large alumni fan base out there plus the thousands of us further east licking our chops to travel out there.
GO BLUE!
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:53 PM ^
Looking forward to mixing with the Alabama fans. I have a long list of jokes ready. I may need to explain them, and they may not go over well, but I'm prepared for that.
December 3rd, 2023 at 9:19 PM ^
Speak slowly.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
Beat Bama.
LET'S. GO. BLUE.
(FSU got screwed. Hate the esseeeseee)
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
If a good ol' boy who seriously goes by Dabo in real life can be Saban's match, Jimmy definitely can.
BET
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:31 PM ^
That will depend immensely on JJ - just as Dabo's NCs did on Watson & Lawrence.
Time to use those plays we've been "saving"...
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
I’m so mad. Only in college football do you actually get penalized for being the #1 seed. I should start watching a real sport like figure skating.
December 3rd, 2023 at 7:03 PM ^
Nancy Kerrigan's knee would like a word.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
Corrigan is at NC State who had the deciding vote to expand the ACC with Stanford and Cal against FSU while FSU wanted out of the ACC. That's a lot of bias. Diminish that brand to reduce their chances to leave..
Fuck them. Fuck Bama. Go Blue.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
I'm not frightened by Alabama. Any matchup was going to be our toughest game of the year. Alabama is obviously talented but styles make fights. A month to get right, scheme it up, and go toe to toe. I do think it would be lovely for Michigan to win it all so I can abandon following this stupid sport though. The controversies and media influence is beyond insufferable at this point. FSU was hosed, Bama hasn't looked great, rankings don't mean anything until the entire dataset is completed. The notion of a committee doing this is just dumb, let the results speak for themselves that's what football is supposed to be about.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
Now, I want more than ever to win the playoff game to stick it to the committee for screwing an undefeated FSU team because of the SEC bias that infects that group.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
The Rose Bowl … great setting … bring on Satan and his 5 stars … they will play a TEAM like no other they’ve faced … great matchup style wise for us … BET MEECHIGAN
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^
You’re going to have to play some good teams to win a national championship. Saban is good but his team can be undisciplined at times and doesn’t always do the little things. We’ll need to open things up. We can definitely make the final. Won’t be easy. But doable. Let’s do this.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
They have had many games with 10 plus penalties… we need to focus on stopping Milroe running wild like Troy Smith and JT Barrett … great matchup
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
If they are going for the “best teams” then how is FSU ranked 5th ? They aren’t better than GA or OSU and a couple other top 10 teams .. They should just admit they got swayed by the SEC bias
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
The silver lining for me is that over confidence shouldn’t be a problem this year.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
I just hate that it's a fucking running QB - he has huge runs in the big game (sans Georgia).
From McNabb forward its been a kryptonite.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
I think we’re up to the challenge… Mr. Barrett will be introducing himself to Milroe often with crushing hits !!!
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
I bet we can negate his big runs a bit by forcing Milroe to make mistakes. Minter can fuck with him. Hopefully he throws a few picks.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
Compose yourself. None of these guys are on the current coaching staff: Schembechler, Moeller, Carr, or Hoke. (RichRod is in his own category.)
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
I suspected this is what they would do. If I was an FSU fan I would be totally unhinged right now. What a kowtow to the SEC.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:47 PM ^
It's going to be a beautiful day in Pasadena. I've ALWAYS wanted to see Michigan in the Rose Bowl in the modern era. It's only fitting that we not only play there, but take down the dying king of college football and silence the SEC supremacy in this dream of a season. Go fucking Blue. I'm fucking stoked.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:47 PM ^
Needed this to shut Finebaum the hell up. Also Petitti getting fans thrown out for hurling obscenities at his weak ass? Weakest of sauces. Guy eats his t bell w mild.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
I do think it's an absolute shame for FSU to not make it. I also genuinely think this is fine. You can't tell me the players won't be significantly more locked in knowing Bama and the SEC bias looms over them and they have a chance to shut it all up. In terms of lighting a fire under michigan this will do it. An FSU match up being heavily favored (like last year mind you) could have caused some complacency. To me Ohio State looks more impressive than any of these teams in the playoff besides Michigan. This is gonna be a hell of a next month!
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Really don’t think that bias is at the top of the player’s worries
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:50 PM ^
There were logical reasons to leave Bama out, despite their win over Georgia. But there will always be an SEC bias, especially if it involves Alabama. It doesn’t matter what era we’re in. Remember the BCS years when all the rules that were applied to Michigan in 2006 did not apply to Alabama in 2011. I’m too tired to complain about the Bama special treatment. It is what it is.
Have to move forward. I think all of us pessimists believe that we will not face the same Bama team that needed a miracle to beat a crappy Auburn team, nearly lost to an even crappier Arkansas team, was tied late with a crappy UCF team and gave up big plays all day long in a double digit home loss to Texas. We will get the Bama team that played Georgia. It’s going to be a tall task.
December 3rd, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
I hate this dickhead McElroy
December 3rd, 2023 at 1:22 PM ^
Don't forget to leave some hate for fuckstick Joey Galloway.
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