Is It Michigan’s Year to Win It All?
Let’s start things off with just WOW!! I am not only surprised with how well Michigan has played this season but just an overall WOW on the season as a hole. We saw upsets, we saw nail biters, we saw under dogs cover the spread more times this year that I can ever remember. We are left with four teams competing for that lone king of the mountain but does Michigan have what it takes to get the job done?
I believe the opening betting line for the Orange Bowl game was Georgia was favored by 6.5 points. As of writing this piece the line has moved to Georgia being an 8 point favorite. If we take a mile high viewpoint of this game, both teams play exceptional defense and run the ball quite well. Neither quarterback has posted eye popping numbers this season so all in all these teams seem to be quite similar. For those BIG10 fans, this on paper seems to be a traditional BIG10 game. Ground and pound, three yards and a cloud of dust type football. Win the trenches, win the game. Georgia is coming off a humiliating loss to Alabama in the SEC title game and Michigan handled Wisconsin in the BIG10 title game. One would think the momentum would be with the Wolverines but is that loss the thing the Bulldogs need to get back on track? Was the punch in the face a wake-up call? Over the season Georgia steamrolled every team they played and that defense was in the conversation of greatest of all time. Was that loss a reality check? Neither head coach as had much luck in the big game so who has the upper hand?
The winner of the Orange Bowl gets to play the winner of the Cotton Bowl for the National Championship Game. This game features a Cincinnati team which is the first non-power five team ever to appear in the playoffs. But as a reward for all of their trailblazing they get a feisty Alabama team that is coming off a huge upset of Georgia. My hope for this game is that the Bearcats keep it close. On paper they don’t match up very well of Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide. This has not been the steamrolling Tide that we are used to seeing but they are still an extremely good offense with playmakers everywhere. Their defense seems to be their weakness but in a season where there isn’t a clear cut favorite there is a reason why this team is number one overall.
So getting back to my question, “Does Michigan have what it takes to win it all?” My answer is YES! Harbaugh has this team hitting on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. Do they match up on paper with Georgia and possibly Alabama, YES! I have a feeling we will see the old ground and pound style of football finally break through to the top of the college football mountain! That’s right folks…a Notre Dame fan is actually pulling for Michigan. You have made it this far, lets finish it off boys!