The Alabama Crimson Tide have learned their destination and opponent for the 2024 college football bowl season.
Alabama will face the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The ReliaQuest Bowl confirmed the news Sunday. The event was previously known as the Outback Bowl from 1995-2022.
The Crimson Tide and Wolverines met in the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl last season on Jan. 1, 2024. Michigan won, 27-20, in overtime en route to winning the national championship a week later over the Washington Huskies, then coached by Kalen DeBoer.
Alabama and Michigan look a lot different this year.
Both coaches from last season’s Rose Bowl are no longer with their respective teams. Nick Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10. Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh left Ann Arbor to return to the NFL and a head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers. DeBoer was announced as Alabama’s head coach on Jan. 12.
Neither Alabama or Michigan will be playing for much more than bragging rights and the hope of finishing a disappointing season on a high note when they meet in Tampa.
Alabama went 9-3 in the regular season and had hoped to sneak in to the 12-team College Football Playoff. Instead, the selection committee chose the SMU Mustangs over Alabama Sunday.
Michigan is 7-5 under first-year coach Sherrone Moore but scored a thrilling 13-10 upset win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in “The Game” to close its regular season. Alabama closed its regular season with a 28-14 win over the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.
Alabama and Michigan have met six times on the gridiron, five of them in the postseason. The all-time head to head series is tied 3-3.
The 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl will mark Alabama’s first appearance in this annual postseason event since New Year’s Day 1997. That day, the Crimson Tide also played Michigan and won 17-14 in Gene Stallings’ final game as Alabama’s head coach.
The wait is over! 🎉 This year’s ReliaQuest Bowl is bringing Michigan and Alabama to Tampa for an epic SEC vs. Big Ten showdown. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/D6JOYUgTO9
— ReliaQuest Bowl (@ReliaQuestBowl) December 8, 2024
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