Michigan football has played against the SEC in the state of Florida in non-College Football Playoff games each of the past two seasons, with a win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2024 and a loss to Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in 2025.
And if the Wolverines can’t get into the CFP in Kyle Whittingham’s first year, why not run both of them back, in a way? That’s the prediction that CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford has.
Crawford is the resident bowl game prediction guru over at CBS Sports and he made a full list anticipating where each team would end up at the end of the season. Though his first projection had the Wolverines in the 12-team invitational, he had since reversed course and put them into a traditional bowl game — the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Alabama. He’s continuing that theme, still predicting the Wolverines and Crimson Tide will face each other in Orlando this postseason.
He explained why he’s not disrespecting the maize and blue:
Out of respect for Curt Cignetti’s proven ability to evaluate, sign and develop, Indiana was the initial call to repeat as Big Ten champions and get back to the Rose Bowl. But the Ducks now have a slight edge coming out of spring. Ohio State, USC, Michigan and Washington are the others within the conference capable of becoming extreme noisemakers near the top of the polls, however.
The trouble for Michigan this season is that the schedule appears daunting with Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Iowa all on the docket this year. However, just because it looks challenging doesn’t mean that it will be. Next to no one expected the Wolverines to overcome the three-game ‘gauntlet’ in 2018, when they had to face Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Penn State, all in a row. And yet, they prevailed in all three. Likewise, in 2021, after going 2-4 in 2020, Michigan lost just one regular-season game, to rival MSU, but ended up surprising with a win over Ohio State, a Big Ten championship, and entry into the College Football Playoff.
Even though those are exceptions to the rule, Kyle Whittingham has a history of wringing the most out of his players. If Michigan isn’t able to make the CFP this year, playing Alabama in Orlando would be a fine consolation prize.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: CBS Sports predicts Michigan football vs. Alabama in Citrus Bowl
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
