The stakes aren’t as high as they were when Alabama and Michigan last met in the postseason, however the 11th-rannked Crimson Tide and Wolverines say they’re excited about their New Year's Eve matchup in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Tuesday’s game at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium is a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal won by eventual national champion Michigan at the Rose Bowl.
Kickoff is at noon, and ESPN is telecasting the game nationally.
While some of the big names have changed, highlighted by the departures of coaches Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh, there’s still plenty of star power on the marquee.
Former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who lost to Michigan in last season’s CFP final, moved to Alabama after Saban retired and is completing his first season with the Crimson Tide.
Sherrone Moore, meanwhile, replaced Harbaugh when the former Wolverines coach left Michigan for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and has experienced some ups and downs in 2024, too.
Despite losing three times and failing to get to the Southeastern Conference championship game, Alabama (9-3) was disappointed to be left out of the expanded 12-team CFP field.
Michigan (7-5) finished seventh in the Big Ten, but enters the ReliaQuest Bowl on a high note after defeating archrival and CFP participant Ohio State.
“Our players are excited. It’s going to be a great challenge with a great team, great opponent,” Moore said Monday. “Ready to kick this thing off.”
It’s not an easy task to follow Saban or Harbaugh, and the ReliaQuest Bowl is not where the Crimson Tide and Wolverines hoped to wind up when the season began.
Still, DeBoer and Moore say it’s good to be in warm-weather Florida with an opportunity to finish a year filled with challenges.
“You want to win them all, right? That’s a given. But I think just finishing this year off with a positive would be big for just the direction, for this team to kind of put an end to it, but also to help us just moving forward and the trajectory,” DeBoer said.
“It’s been a whirlwind of 11 months," the Alabama coach added. "But I like where we’re at with the mindset, like where we’re at with how things are coming together, and looking forward to taking those next steps.”
Jalen Milroe will start at quarterback for Alabama as the Crimson Tide try to get their 10th victory and extend an impressive streak of 16 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins.
“It means a lot,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker, a second-team AP All-American, said.
“We had a lot of goals set out before this year took place, and obviously we can’t achieve all or most of our goals now," Booker added. "But one of the goals we can still achieve is reaching 10 wins. And that’s at the forefront of our minds.”
This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the tradition-rich programs. The Crimson Tide and Wolverines have each won three.
It’s Michigan’s seventh appearance in Tampa game, which was called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. This will be the third time Alabama has played in the game.
The teams have met twice before in the Tampa bowl. Michigan won the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl, 28-24, and Alabama won the 1997 Outback Bowl, 17-14.
At a glance
WHAT: ReliaQuest Bowl featuring No. 11 Alabama (9-3) vs. Michigan (7-5),
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa.
WHEN: Tuesday at noon.
TICKETS: Available through TicketMaster. Gates open at 10:30 a.m.
PARKING: Stadium lots open at 8 a.m. Cost is $40 ($160 for campers and buses). All parking is cashless and on a first-come basis.
TV: ESPN, with Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (reporter).
RADIO: WDAE (620 AM or 95.3 FM).
ODDS: Alabama favored by 13.5.
KEY MATCHUPS
- The Crimson Tide have the 41st-ranked rushing offense in the FBS (182.7 yards per game). They take on the Wolverines' third-ranked rushing defense, which gives up 92.6 on the ground per game.
- Michigan has the No. 111 scoring offense in the FBS (22.3 points per game), and will be facing the 10th-ranked defense (Alabama gives up 17.3 ppg).
LAST GAME
- Alabama: Defeated Auburn 28-14 in the annual Iron Bowl rivalry. Jalen Milroe threw for 256 yards on 18 of 24 attempts with one interception. He also ran 17 times for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Jamarion Miller carried the ball 28 times for 84 yards. Germie Bernard had seven receptions for 111 yards.
- Michigan: Defeated 13-10 over rival Ohio State. Davis Warren threw for 62 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Kalel Mullings had 116 rushing yards on 32 carries and one touchdown. Peyton O'Leary had one reception for 18 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Alabama: Milroe has 2,652 passing yards (221 per game) while completing 65.9% of passes (189 for 287), with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has 719 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns (eighth in CFB), averaging 59.9 per game. Star freshman receiver Ryan Williams has 45 receptions for 857 yards (71.4 per game) and has eight touchdowns.
- Michigan: Warren has 1,126 passing yards (112.6 per game) while completing 63.5% of passes (125 for 197), with six touchdowns and nine interceptions. Mullings has 185 carries for 948 rushing yards (79 per game) and 12 touchdowns. Colston Loveland has 56 receptions for 582 yards (52.9 per game) and has five touchdowns.
FACTS AND FIGURES
- Alabama has outscored opponents by 18.2 points per game this season, and Michigan has outscored opponents by 1.8 per game.
- Alabama has been a tough matchup for opposing teams, as they rank top-25 in both scoring offense (16th-best with 35.5 points per game) and scoring defense (10th-best with 17.3 points allowed per game) this season.
- Michigan's run defense has been leading the charge for the team, as it ranks third-best in college football with 92.6 yards surrendered per contest. In terms of offense, it is generating 160.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 70th.
