1. College Football Playoff Semifinal: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Michigan vs TCU
Saturday, December 31, 2022, 4:00 ET, ESPN
ATS Line Michigan -7.5
PICK Michigan
I would totally love it if TCU won.
It’s not that I hate Michigan, and all of its Maize and Blue fans, and all the dear friends and family who believe that they beat Ohio State – instead of giving 110% of the credit to the kids and coaches on the field who did all the work. It would be a good thing for the future of the College Football Playoff if the outlier team finally pulled one off, even if it meant a 155-3 national championship final score was coming up next.
Unfortunately, so far in the eight years of the College Football Playoff, bad things happen when the kid tries to engage in the conversation at the adult table.
Washington … no. 24-7 Alabama.
Michigan State … dear heavens, no. 38-0 Alabama, and it wasn’t even that interesting.
Notre Dame … some segment of the Irish fandom thinks being competitive for a half is enough to overcome the final score, but … no. Really, no. 30-3 Clemson, 31-14 Alabama.
Cincinnati … (heavy sigh because we all knew this was coming) … no. 27-6 Alabama, and that’s because Bama was being kind.
It’s not like Michigan has proven itself in the College Football Playoff – it got roasted by Georgia 34-11 last year – but it’s far more established and proven over the last two years than TCU.
All that, and the 24-7 Bama win over Washington in the 2016 Peach – I still have fat cells that will never, ever go away from all the Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kremes I ate in Atlanta that week – was the closest CFP undercard semifinal outside of the Georgia-Oklahoma double-OT Rose Bowl in 2017.
When the matchups were first announced my first thought was Michigan -17.5. I’m being handed an extra ten points to enjoy.
Football-wise, the Michigan lines and defense should take over in the second half. It’s been my call from the start, and I’m not sliding now.
(BTW, word is that the early line if it’s Georgia – Michigan will be Dawgs -17ish or so.)
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