Michigan 27, Alabama 20, 1OT

[Jeff Buchanan]

The wildcard is our youth and if you can rattle Milroe. You do and you win by 14. You don’t and you’ll be talking about next year or how the refs screwed you by not calling X.

Fair analysis...... except for excuses BS. It won't be coming from me although I admit a lot of M fans are rightly accused of that sort of shit.

Let's dig a little deeper wrt M's ability to fluster Milroe.

I've read that Alabama's interior OL is good, not great and M should attack it. M has the DTs in Mason Graham, Chris Jenkins, Cam Goode, Rayshaun Berry to pressure Milroe up the middle and collapse pockets. Season grades are paywalled but I have them for the OSU game. M's OL got an overall grade of 84.2 against OSU. Graham (83.3), Goode (81.0), Grant (80.7) and Benny (76.0). These are scary good PFF grades..... with Zinter at RG until the 3rd quarter injury he sustained. I'd expect some drop off with the position shuffling that had to go on.

I can't find Alabama's recent OL PFF grades. What I feel confident about is that Mike Elston, M's DL coach, is very good and has been responsible for developing the current DTs and DEs.

M's edge rushers, Stewart and McGregor, have turned out to be surprises but it is the stuff Minter does with his schemes that has been compared to NFL level teams and here, the whole is much greater than the parts. In a recent mgo article reviewing M's defense in their win over OSU, the author remarks Day and Minter were playing some 3d level chess matches that were as complex as anything the NFL is doing. M's execution on both O and D was > than OSU's.

The point is that M's defense is really good, can bring pressure and has the potential to confuse Milroe and reduce the time that he has to make his reads and or force bad throws. Likewise, it's going to a battle royal between Minter on D and Saban on O calling schemes.

[Jeff Buchanan]

BTW, really glad your surgery is over and you feel well enough to come back. It's good to have your analysis of Alabama football. I think its great that two of the historically great CFB teams are going to meet in the Rose on January 1st.

[AlabamAlum]

I said “you” on the complaining about officials thing, but I really just meant the random M collective.

The Bama OL is much improved. Much. It’s talent-laden, but they’re young. Just a couple of upperclassmen in the 2-deep. It’s a tough assignment for your d-line now because they’ve grown up a lot. The SEC is replete with top-tier D-lines. They won’t be intimidated. Milroe is better. He’s solid now. You will have to put a spy on him or he will eat you up with his legs, and of course, a spy will open up some pass plays or running lanes.

Georgia got to him some, but obviously did not rattle him.

Saban isn’t calling plays. Tommy Rees is. Saban will override coordinators on occasion, and he signs off on the game plan, but it will be Tommy calling offensive plays and sets.

[AlabamAlum]

BTW, really glad your surgery is over and you feel well enough to come back. It's good to have your analysis of Alabama football. I think its great that two of the historically great CFB teams are going to meet in the Rose on January 1st.

Thanks. It means a lot.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Saban isn’t calling plays. Tommy Rees is. Saban will override coordinators on occasion, and he signs off on the game plan, but it will be Tommy calling offensive plays and sets.

Well, that's too bad. How is Tommy Reese working out for you as OC? I thought that was a very strange hire and signaled that the real play calling was going to be done by Nick who, I've read and heard, is really good at feeling the game out from the sidelines. If things go south early for the Tide, I can't imagine him just remaining quiet.

[AlabamAlum]

Well, he got us to 12-1 and in the CFP. I’m pretty happy considering our youth.

[WingsFan]

The Dirty Fucking Cheaters were destroying everything for their first 9 games.

My browser is messing up, I didn't click on "Around about the Big Ten" but here I am??

[Jeff Buchanan]

Connelly's S&P+ picks the CFP play-in game winners:

Michigan 29, Alabama 20.

Texas 33, Washington 27.

Read the comments, they're funny......one guy posts, " yeah the CFB season is where I use S&P+ to bet and lose a lot of money.

Heh.

https://twitter.com/ESPN_BillC/status/1731769975927415141?s=20

[THE_WIZARD_]

Go ahead and bet that.

Bet.

[WingsFan]

I won $400.00 this weekend

[WingsFan]

The color matchup is fantastic, I must say I love Bama's look in their road whites. Michigan in Big Game Blues.

[Cody_Russell]

Yes, elite status with the uniforms for the game.
I actually love both home uniform combinations for M. Blue pants has indeed been the confident choice with exception of losing to 2021 Georgia.

Damn, tickets for this game are expensive. It would probably cost ~$5K-$6K for two people to attend this game. Adding in all other travel and hotel costs to that estimate. Shame!

[Hannibal]

Congrats on your natty, AA.

[Mike]

Cody, it sucks. The Rose Bowl has always been a bucket list item for me and I got the green light to go this year but it's just too damn much. The flight is the big killer but, yeah, you're looking at $3,000+ per person for travel, 3-4 nights at a cheapie hotel, and a ticket. Then you need to eat and drink for 4 days so there's like another 8K. I just couldn't get the math to work.

[AlabamAlum]

Just save the money for the championship game. It’s in Houston iirc and that’s a lot cheaper.

Southwest, a Hampton for a few nights, a few Ubers, and it’s reasonable.