Steve Deace, who mainly covers the Big Ten conference, wrote a piece predicting the outcome of every bowl game Big Ten teams are involved in – this includes Michigan as they’ll take on Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Deace predicts a Crimson Tide win over the Wolverines with a final score of 45-31.
He goes on to explain his thought process behind the score prediction and how he thinks the flow of the game will go:
“This will be a high-scoring game on a fast track,” says Deace, “The Wolverines have the experience and firepower to exploit what’s been at times a pedestrian defense by traditional Nick Saban standards. On the other hand, I don’t give Michigan’s secondary much of a chance in man coverage against arguably the greatest receiving corps in college football history. The other big edge in the game is Alabama’s imposing offensive line against a quick, agile, but undersized Michigan defensive front. Expect Najee Harris to gash Don Brown in the running game.”
Deace’s argument about the Alabama receiving corps giving the Michigan secondary problems is valid, as they allowed, on average, 170 passing yards per game; whereas Alabama had roughly 345 passing yards per game.
However, the passing game isn’t the only factor when comparing Nick Saban’s offense to Jim Harbaugh’s defense. With Tua Tagovailoa out and Mac Jones playing, Alabama may look to utilize their weapons out of the backfield a little more.
Alabama averaged 170 rushing yards per game, with most of those coming from Najee Harris, and Michigan allowed 120 yards per game in the 2019 regular season.
It seems like what Deace is trying to highlight is that the 2019 Citrus Bowl will come down to if Michigan’s defense will be able to stop Mac Jones, who is looking to impress, and a handful of skill position players who are trying to improve their already first round draft grades.
The 2020 VRBO Citrus Bowl will be played in Orlando, Florida on Jan. 1 and it can be watched on ABC at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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