Alabama football takes the field one final time in 2024, and they'll do it against the same team they opened the calendar year with. The Crimson Tide faced off against the Michigan Wolverines on New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl. This time, Alabama will face Michigan on New Year's Eve in Tampa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
This isn't how Alabama hoped to finish the season, but there's still plenty on the line. You have the revenge factor after last season's loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal. You also have the opportunity to get to 10 wins for the Crimson Tide, extending that particular streak to 17 years.
A win would build some positive momentum for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama heading into 2025. A loss would further accentuate the negatives of the 2024 season, and be the first 4+ loss season for the Crimson Tide since 2007.
Both Alabama and Michigan enter the game coming off of big rivalry wins. Alabama beat Auburn 28-14 in the Iron Bowl for its fifth straight win over the Tigers. Michigan stunned Ohio State 13-10 in "The Game", the Wolverines' fourth consecutive win over the Buckeyes, none more stunning than this one.
This won't be the same Michigan team that took the field against Ohio State. Guys like Mason Graham, Will Johnson, Coleston Loveland, and Donovan Edwards, among others, will not play. Alabama is missing some depth pieces, but not the first-round pick talent like the Wolverines.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel
Spread: Alabama -14.5
Over/Under: 44.5
This spread has ballooned since it opened around 10.5. Michigan will be without a lot of key contributors who opted out to focus on NFL Draft preparation. Alabama, on the other hand, avoided the opt-out bug and will have guys like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, and Jihaad Campbell fully available when they could have easily sat out to avoid injury as they prepare for the draft.
Alabama is now a heavy favorite of more than two touchdowns. Unfortunately, being that big of a favorite hasn't necessarily been conducive to wins for the Crimson Tide. Alabama was a more than two-touchdown favorite against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, two games it surprisingly lost.
Final Prediction:
Like any game this season, it's going to come down to which version of Alabama we see take the field in Tampa. If it's the version we saw against Oklahoma, then make no mistake the Crimson Tide are fully capable of losing to a Michigan team that is a shell of itself.
If Alabama plays like it did against Georgia or LSU or even against Auburn in the Iron Bowl, then this should be a multi-score win.
I like a rested Jalen Milroe here and I expect DeBoer and company to have a good gameplan to combat what will almost certainly be the same defensive gameplan they faced against Oklahoma in Norman in November.
I like Alabama here to finish the 2024 season on a high note with a complete effort against Michigan.