Michigan football betting odds and prediction vs. the Georgia Bulldogs
By Bob Heyrman
Although Michigan football had essentially been playing playoff games to qualify for the actual playoff, New Year’s Eve’s tilt with the Georgia Bulldogs is the real semi-final.
It took until 2021, but Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh finally coached his Wolverines to a victory over archrival Ohio State. The win over Ohio launched the Wolverines into the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa. Michigan destroyed the Hawkeyes to the tune of 42-3.
After that stellar performance in Indianapolis, the Wolverines had a legitimate argument to be ranked as the no. 1 team in the country as the Bulldogs fell to Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
The committee decided they’d prefer to try and avoid an immediate rematch of the SEC Championship by ranking Alabama no.1, leapfrogging the Wolverines, who settled in at no. 2, leaving Georgia at no. 3 and the Cincinnati Bearcats rounding out the NCAA Playoff at no. 4.
I urge Michigan fans not to overlook the hungry Bulldogs. Don’t you think Georgia will be motivated to have another opportunity to take on Alabama?
The Bulldogs/Crimson Tide rivalry is similar to Michigan and Michigan State. I used the Spartans here as an example, knowing Auburn and Alabama would be equivalent to Michigan and Ohio State. Georgia’s most prominent rival has to be the Florida Gators. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs have struggled to conquer Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
Alabama leads the all-time series with Georgia 42-25-4 but has won the past seven straight meetings between the two; it sounds familiar. Again, Michigan fans, do not underestimate how motivated Kirby Smart’s club will be on New Year’s Eve.