Alabama football's bowl matchup revealed after missing the College Football Playoff

Alabama football received disappointing news on Sunday when it was left out of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide was the first team out of the 12-team field with SMU getting the final spot despite losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and playing a schedule that ranked as the 60th toughest in college football.

The decision by the committee is sure to have widespread ramifications for the sport moving forward.

But for right now, Alabama still has another game to play. After being left out of the playoff, the Crimson Tide was selected to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida in a rematch of last season's Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan. The game will take place on New Year's Eve at 11 am CST.

This bowl game was formally known as the Outback Bowl and before that the Hall of Fame Bowl. This will be the third time the Tide has played in this bowl game, with both previous meetings coming against Michigan, too.

Michigan beat Alabama 28-24 in the 1998 Hall of Fame Bowl. The Crimson Tide returned the favor by beating the Wolverines 17-14 in the 1997 Outback Bowl, the final game coached by the legendary Gene Stallings.

Alabama and Michigan have met six times in the illustrious history of both programs with each team winning three times. The Wolverines got the better of the Crimson Tide in overtime of last season's Rose Bowl.

Even with a game left to play, the offseason started in earnest for the Crimson Tide. Draft declarations/opt-outs as well as portal entries will crank up over the next 24-72 hours. It will be interesting which players choose to play in the game and which choose to skip it.

Alabama has a good history of players participating in non-playoff bowl games in the opt-out era, but that of course was with Nick Saban as the head coach. It will be interesting how it goes for Kalen DeBoer.