The Michigan Wolverines, at long last, were able to end the program’s College Football Playoff victory drought in an overtime thriller against the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day.
The 27-20 victory over the Crimson Tide snapped the Wolverines’ 0-2 record in the CFP, coming on the heels of last year’s semifinal loss to TCU (51-45) and their 34-11 rout at the hands of Georgia the year before. Backing the Wolverines has been big box office for Michigan betting sites.
It also improved the Big Ten’s all-time CFP record to 4-7, earning the conference its first playoff victory since Ohio State beat Clemson in the 2021 semifinal round, 49-28.
Ahead of Michigan’s CFP title game clash against future Big Ten program Washington on Monday night, BetMichigan.com – your source for Michigan casino bonuses - utilized CollegeFootballPlayoff.com to break down the numbers on how the conference has fared in the playoff since its inception in 2014.
Big Ten CFP Results
- 2014: Ohio State (2-0/champs)
- 2015: Michigan State (0-1, lost to Alabama 38-0)
- 2016: Ohio State (0-1, lost to Clemson, 31-0)
- 2017: NO TEAMS
- 2018: NO TEAMS
- 2019: Ohio State (0-1, lost to Clemson 29-23)
- 2020: Ohio State (1-1, beat Clemson, 49-28/lost to Alabama 52-24)
- 2021: Michigan (0-1, lost to Georgia, 34-11)
- 2022: Michigan (0-1, lost to TCU, 51-45)/Ohio State (0-1, lost to Georgia 42-41)
- 2023: Michigan (1-0, beat Alabama, 27-20)
Total: 4-7 (1 title)
CFP Winner Seed, by Year
- 2022: Georgia (1 seed)
- 2021: Georgia (3 seed)
- 2020: Alabama (1 seed)
- 2019: LSU (1 seed)
- 2018: Clemson (2 seed)
- 2017: Alabama (4 seed)
- 2016: Clemson (2 seed)
- 2015: Alabama (2 seed)
- 2014: Ohio State (4 seed)
Winning Seed Breakdown: 1 seeds: 3 champs; 2 seeds: 3 champs; 3 seeds: 1 champ; 4 seeds: 2 champs
Can Michigan Do It In 2024?
While the Wolverines are currently listed as a 4.5-point and -200 moneyline favorite on ESPN BET Michigan. there’s reason to believe that 2024 might not be all that rosy for the Big Ten when all’s said and done. That’s because top seeds have the same number of titles (three) as two seeds in the playoff’s 10-year run, meaning the Wolverines have little (if any) advantage over the red-hot Huskies come Monday night.
Throw in the fact that both teams will face a true neutral site in the CFP title game, with Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus being just under 1,300 miles from Houston (to Washington’s 2,348 miles), and you have the right ingredients for a championship tossup come Monday night. A big game from quarterback J.J. McCarthy probably means a national title and positive momentum for McCarthy’s NFL draft projection.
In the final year of the CFP’s four-team era, it’s also worth repeating that a top seed never has beaten a No. 2 seed in the title game, while a second seed has beaten the No. 1 team three times overall.
One thing that seems like a certainty: The 2024 CFP title game is bound to be a classic, marking only the second time in a decade that two unbeaten teams have met in the finale, giving fans of the Wolverines and Huskies reason to rejoice.
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