The Michigan Wolverines have a shot at erasing the school’s ongoing College Football Playoff nightmare on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, when the top-ranked team in the nation plays No. 4 Alabama.
In the last two years, Wolverines football has turned dream regular seasons into one-game nightmares, thanks to sloppy play in the four-team playoff that led to consecutive blowout losses in 2021 (against Georgia) and 2022 (TCU). In those games, the Jim Harbaugh-coached squads were outscored, 85-56, taking what were historic seasons and leaving the Wolverines in the dustbin of CFB history. So, what are Michigan sportsbooks indicating this time around?
Well, when the Wolverines and Crimson Tide meet in the CFP semifinals at the Rose Bowl, oddsmakers from ESPN BET Michigan list UM as a 1.5-point favorite, with a shot at righting those recent wrongs.
Ahead of that New Year’s Day showdown, BetMichigan.com broke down the Wolverines’ recent struggles against SEC programs and in bowl games in general.
Michigan's Recent Bowl History
You will want as much information as possible if you want to wager on the game at Michigan sportsbook apps. Here’s what you need to know about how Harbaugh’s bunch has fared of late on the sport’s biggest stage.
| Date | Bowl | Result |
| Jan. 1, 2024 | Rose (CFP) | Michigan vs. Alabama |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | Fiesta (CFP) | Texas Christian 51, Michigan 45 |
| Dec. 31, 2021 | Orange (CFP) | Georgia 34, Michigan 11 |
| Jan. 1, 2020 | Citrus | Alabama 35, Michigan 16 |
| Dec. 29, 2018 | Peach | Florida 41, Michigan 15 |
| Jan. 1, 2018 | Outback | South Carolina 26, Michigan 19 |
| Jan. 1, 2016 | Peach | Michigan 41, Florida 7 |
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Michigan Looking To Beat CFP Blues
After going 0-2 in their first two CFP semis, the Wolverines are out to ensure 2023 is a different story, with UM looking to capture the school’s first national championship since 1997. To do so, the program will need to snap its four-game skid against the SEC, dating back to Michigan’s 26-19 loss to South Carolina in the 2018 Outback Bowl. Since then, Michigan has been on the wrong end of losses to Florida (41-15 in the 2018 Peach Bowl), Alabama (35-16 in the 2020 Citrus Bowl), and the aforementioned CFP defeat at the hands of Georgia.
A potential difference this year for the Wolverines is their newfound offensive mettle, ranking 13th nationally in scoring (36.7 points per game), to go with nation’s best defense, scoring wise, allowing 9.5 points per game.
One way or another, Harbaugh and the Wolverines will be staring down a longstanding losing streak against the SEC’s best when they toe the immaculate green grass of the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. BetMichigan.com will be following before and after the game and will provide the best Michigan casino bonuses as well.
More: College Football Betting Guide
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