ReliaQuest Bowl – Syndication Server

Roll Tide Wire staff predictions for Alabama vs. Michigan in ReliaQuest Bowl

Roll Tide Wire make their picks for the ReliaQuest Bowl between Alabama and Michigan.

After a lengthy break in between games, it is now officially time for the Alabama Crimson Tide to take the field for the final time this season for a matchup against the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Two of the premier brands in college football, Alabama and Michigan met a year ago in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, and now find themselves meeting once again this season in a bowl game.

So, before the Crimson Tide and Wolverines square off Tuesday afternoon, each member of our Roll Tide Wire staff make their pick as to who wins the ReliaQuest Bowl, while also offering a few thoughts on the game.

Matt’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 37, Michigan Wolverines 17

When it comes to a potential difference maker in this contest, Alabama will certainly have the advantage when it comes to putting points on the board offensively. Because of this, I’m going with Alabama to come away with a victory to avenge last seasons CFP loss, as Michigan will simply not be able to keep up on the scoreboard.

Steve’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 38, Michigan Wolverines 14

Alabama avoided the opt-out bug for the second time in three years and will have most of its stars from the 2024 regular season in Tampa for this season’s rematch with Michigan. Jalen Milroe, Jihaad Campbell, Tyler Booker and others will look to have big games to improve their NFL Draft stock. On the other side, Michigan will be without cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland and defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham who opted out for draft purposes.

Remember, there’s also some pride at stake here for Alabama, who hopes to extend its streak of 10-win seasons to 17 straight years. I’m curious to see how Ty Simpson looks — assuming he gets to play — as Alabama’s likely starting QB going into next season. Kalen DeBoer closes out his first season in Tuscaloosa on a good note.

Sam’s Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 38, Michigan Wolverines 21

A season ago, the Michigan Wolverines ended the Alabama Crimson Tide’s national title hopes in one of the most exciting Rose Bowl’s ever. Alabama is a much more talented team in 2024, but after missing out on the playoffs there is always a chance of a bowl game hangover. But with it likely being Jalen Milroe’s final game for the Crimson Tide and the majority of draft eligible guys dressing, I think we are going to see an Alabama team play one of their games of the season.

Alabama football uniforms for ReliaQuest Bowl vs Michigan unveiled

Road whites or home uniforms? Here’s what Alabama will wearing when they face Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

We now know what uniforms the Alabama Crimson Tide will be wearing at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa when they face the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl Tuesday.

Michigan football took to social media Monday to share that the Wolverines would be wearing their classic home uniforms. By default, Alabama will wear its iconic white jerseys over white pants.

It’s essentially the same uniform combination as the 2024 Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, with one exception. Michigan will be wearing its traditional gold pants in Tuesday’s matchup; they wore blue jerseys over blue pants for the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal.

It will be the fifth time this season that Alabama will be wearing its crisp white jerseys. While the Crimson Tide played five road games in the regular season, one was at LSU where the Tigers always wear white jerseys at home against Alabama.

Here’s a look at Michigan’s uniform combination as posted on the team’s social media accounts (note the official 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl patch near the shoulder of the jersey).

🪡 Bowl Game Threads 🔵🟡#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/JSVZEgbLY0

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 30, 2024

As we mentioned previously, the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) has pitted the SEC vs. the Big Ten every year since the 1995 season. Big Ten schools have been designated as the home team in even years (after the 2016 regular season, 2018, 2020, etc.), while SEC schools have been the home team in odd years.

Alabama (9-3 overall) is ranked No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Michigan (7-5) is unranked. The Crimson Tide defeated Auburn 28-14 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in their last game on Nov. 30. Jalen Milroe combined for four touchdowns as Alabama won its fifth straight Iron Bowl. That same day, Michigan stunned Ohio State, 13-10.

Kickoff for Alabama vs. Michigan is set for 11 a.m. CT Tuesday. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions.

ESPN names TV announcers for Alabama-Michigan ReliaQuest Bowl showdown

Here’s who will have the call for Alabama vs. Michigan on ESPN.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will close out 2024 against the same college football program it opened the year against.

The Crimson Tide (9-3 overall) face the Michigan Wolverines (7-5) in the ReliaQuest Bowl, formerly the Outback Bowl, on New Year’s Eve at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Kickoff for the game will be at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.

As for who will be calling the action, ESPN has announced its broadcast/commentator assignments for all New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day bowl games being televised on the network.

The team of Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Brock Osweiler (analyst) will have the TV call of Alabama vs. Michigan. Stormy Buonantony will handle sideline reporting duties.

It’s the first time this season that the duo of Flemming and Osweiler will call an Alabama game. Flemming has been with ESPN since 2009. He has called college basketball games as well as Major League Baseball games on ESPN for a number of years. Flemming is also a play-by-play voice for the San Francisco Giants.

Osweiler played quarterback at Arizona State before going on to a seven-year stay in the NFL, primarily with the Denver Broncos.

Additionally, Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio. Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Mike Peasley (sideline) will have the national radio call of Alabama-Michigan. The Alabama radio crew of Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts and company will have the call of the game for Crimson Tide Sports Network.

The CTSN feed can be heard on the Varsity App, as well as on SiriusXM Channel 190.

Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the last regular season US LBM Coaches Poll on Dec. 8. Michigan is unranked. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 28-14 win over Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 30. Jalen Milroe combined for four touchdowns as Alabama picked up its fifth straight win in the Iron Bowl rivalry.

Earlier that day, Michigan stunned then-No. 2 Ohio State, 13-10, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions.

WATCH: Acting OC Steve Casula previews Michigan football vs. Alabama

Some really good stuff here. #GoBlue

TAMPA, Fla. — Michigan football is gearing up for a new era in Sherrone Moore’s second year, but it still has to close out the 2024 season in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.

The Wolverines will likely have a new starting quarterback next season (favorites are freshman Bryce Underwood or incoming transfer Mikey Keene) and will certainly have a new offensive coordinator in former North Carolina OC Chip Lindsey. However, for the bowl game, tight ends coach Steve Casula is handling those duties in the interim.

On Friday, before the Wolverines took the field for their first practice in the state of Florida, Casula met with the media to discuss all things Michigan football.

You can watch most of his press conference below (we didn’t start recording until the second question).

From team preparation, players who are standing out, his thoughts on Bryce Underwood and more, there are a lot of takeaways from the former UMass offensive coordinator.

LOOK: Photos from Michigan football’s first practice in Tampa for ReliaQuest Bowl

Lots of first looks at early enrollees and much more! #GoBlue

TAMPA, Fla. — The last time Michigan football played in Tampa, in what was then the Outback Bowl, all of the hype surrounding the team was about a quarterback who was incoming. Apparently, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In 2017, that quarterback was transfer Shea Patterson, who was the top signal-caller in his class (2016). But unlike in 2024, Patterson hadn’t joined his team. In 2024, that QB is Bryce Underwood, who cannot play until next year, but as an early enrollee is free to partake in everything that the Wolverines are doing in preparation for the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Whether it’s early enrollees (Underwood, LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, five-star OT Andrew Babalola, WRs Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder, OG Avery Gach were all spotted and photographed, we also saw Bobby Kanka, Julius Holly, and Eli Owens) or players getting ready, we made it to Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit to see the maize and blue in action at the beginning of the first practice for the matchup against Alabama.

Here are some pictures we managed to snag.

A look back at Alabama vs. Michigan head-to-head football history

Alabama and Michigan will meet for the seventh time on New Year’s Eve.

On Dec. 31, the 2024 season will officially come to a close for the Alabama Crimson Tide, as the program faces off against the Michigan Wolverines for the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

While not a part of the College Football Playoff, this is still one of the more intriguing bowl games this season as it not only pits two of college football’s top brands against each other, but is also a rematch from the CFP Semifinal just last year.

Well, we certainly know the recent history between the Crimson Tide and Wolverines, but just how many times before have Alabama and Michigan met?

All-time, Alabama and Michigan have met six times before, with a majority of the games coming in bowls. The series its split even at 3-3 apiece, with the first meeting having come back in 1987 via a 28-24 win for Michigan.

Alabama’s first win in the series would come in 1997 by a final score of 17-14, with Michigan however getting their revenge a few years later in 2000 with a 35-34 win. The two teams would have a lengthy break in between games however, not meeting again until the 2012 season opener in Arlington, Texas when the Crimson Tide dominated Michigan, 41-14.

In recent years, Alabama and Michigan have split the past two matchups, the first of which was a 35-16 win in the Citrus Bowl back in 2020. The most recent was arguably the most famous as well in the aforementioned College Football Playoff Semifinal a year ago in which Michigan topped the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, 27-20, on their way to winning the national title.

Set to meet for the seventh time Dec. 31, will it be Alabama or Michigan getting their fourth win all-time in the ReliaQuest Bowl?

Nick Saban predicts Alabama vs. Michigan, SEC bowl games, and CFP winners and losers

Check out who Nick Saban picked to win Alabama’s bowl game vs. Michigan, as well as other SEC bowl matchups and Saturday’s first-round CFP slate.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are spending the weekend before the Christmas break preparing for their bowl game matchup against the Michigan Wolverines in Tampa, Fla., on New Year’s Eve.

No, the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) isn’t what Alabama players, fans or coach Kalen DeBoer wanted, but the Crimson Tide (9-3 overall) still have a lot to play for.

Alabama is hoping to extends its streak of 10-win seasons to 17 straight years and can do that with a win over a Michigan program (7-5) that also had higher expectations after winning the national championship a season ago.

Players like quarterback Jalen Milroe and others could improve their NFL Draft stock, should they decide to declare.

On Saturday, former Alabama coach Nick Saban and the rest of ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew were in Columbus for that night’s first-round College Football Playoff game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The crew of Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and celebrity guest picker A.J. Hawk weighed in with their predictions on Alabama vs. Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

“There is nobody in Tennessee rooting for Alabama, but I’ve got to go with the Crimson Tide on this one,” Saban said while acknowledging the large contingent of Vols fans in Columbus.

McAfee agreed with Saban, as did Corso and Hawk. Howard and Herbstreit picked Michigan to beat Alabama.

Kickoff for Alabama vs. Michigan is set for 11 a.m. CT on Dec. 31. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Nick Saban predicts SEC bowl game winners and losers

Saban picked the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and his former assistant Brent Key to beat Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Birmingham Bowl next Friday, as well as the Texas A&M Aggies to beat the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl.

For the Citrus Bowl, Saban took LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina Gamecocks to beat Illinois on New Year’s Eve in Orlando.

In non-SEC bowl games like the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Saban took Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes to defeat Iowa State on Dec. 28. He also picked Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes to defeat the BYU Cougars in this year’s Alamo Bowl next Saturday.

“I’m not allowed to pick against Deion. Miss Terry’s orders,” Saban quipped when picking Coach Prime and the Buffs.

Saban predicts first-round CFP winners

For Saturday’s College Football Playoff games, Saban took Penn State to defeat the SMU Mustangs, the Texas Longhorns to beat the Clemson Tigers, and Ohio State to beat Tennessee.

“Ohio State had great expectations for this season,” Saban said. “Most of the teams that I had the opportunity to coach that had great expectations and had a failing (in) the season made a great comeback and played great in the next game, and I think Ohio State will do that tonight.”

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Will Alabama wear home or away jerseys for ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan? What history tells us

Will it be home or away jerseys for the Crimson Tide in their bowl game against Michigan? Here’s our best guess.

When the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines face off in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, it will be their third head-to-head meeting in five seasons — and their second in the past 365 days.

At least from the standpoint of uniforms, it will also be an aesthetically pleasing game to watch on TV or in person, if you’re traveling to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

There are few if any teams in all of college football that are as uniquely identifiable as the Wolverines’ in their maize and blue combo, or Alabama in its crimson and white threads (officially named Crimson Flame and Victory White by the university).

But what color jersey will these two heavyweight programs be wearing when they meet again on New Year’s Eve?

Well, neither school has made any official announcement on that front but for a bit of fun, we look to the past for clues as to which team will be wearing home and away jerseys.

The ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) has pitted the SEC vs. the Big Ten in every matchup since the 1995 season. The Big Ten representative has been designated as the home team in even years (after the 2016 regular season, 2018, 2020, etc.), while the SEC representative has been the home team in odd years.

When Alabama made its last appearance in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day 1997 (also against Michigan) following the ’96 regular season, the Crimson Tide wore their road white jerseys. Like then, Alabama is the designated visiting team for this year’s matchup.

A season ago, LSU was the designated home team in Tampa and opted to wear its alternate purple jerseys over gold pants against Wisconsin. When Indiana was the designated home team following the 2020 season, the Hoosiers wore their home uniforms against Ole Miss.

That means the Crimson Tide will likely be in their classic all-white jerseys, though not necessarily. Schools that are designated as the home team still have the option to wear white.

If Alabama indeed takes the field in Tampa in their road jerseys, it will mark the same uniform matchup as last season’s Rose Bowl against Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Wolverines wore a matching blue pant combination in that game but could opt for their traditional maize pants this time.

Regardless of who ends up wearing what jersey, Alabama-Michigan is bound to be as close to perfection as any uniform matchup will get during the 2024-25 college football bowl season.

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Michigan will be without another threat for ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Alabama

Michigan player opts out of bowl matchup with Alabama.

The Michigan Wolverines will be down a running back when they face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Senior tailback Donovan Edwards announced Sunday that he would opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl matchup, ending his college career after four seasons in Ann Arbor.

Edwards rushed for 589 yards on 128 carries (4.6 avg.) this season, good for 19th in the Big Ten. He was second on the team in rushing behind Kalel Mullings (185 carries, 948 yards).

A season ago, Edwards ran for 497 yards on 119 carries behind starting tailback Blake Corum during the Wolverines’ 15-0 national championship season.

Michigan (7-5) has notable players skipping its bowl matchup with Alabama (9-3). Tight end Colston Loveland declared for the NFL draft over the weekend, as did star defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson.

Kickoff for Alabama-Michigan is 11 a.m. CT on New Year’s Eve in Tampa. The game will be televised on ESPN.

For coverage of the Michigan Wolverines, visit Wolverines Wire.

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Where Alabama vs. Michigan ranks among best/worst bowl games of 2024

Where does Alabama vs. Michigan rank among the best/worst matchups of bowl season?

Neither the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Michigan Wolverines had the types of seasons they wanted in 2024.

Alabama (9-3 overall) lost three games, which was one too many to keep them out of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Michigan (7-5) won the national championship a year ago while going 15-0 but was never in contention to repeat as champions this season.

This year’s ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Wolverines won’t have near the amount of stakes as last season’s Rose Bowl, a playoff semifinal game that Michigan won 27-20 in overtime.

But it’s still Alabama vs. Michigan, and college football blue bloods like the Tide and Wolverines carry a lot of weight. That’s particularly true for bowl games that aren’t normally accustomed to having two historical powerhouses play in lower-tier postseason events.

USA TODAY Sports recently ranked all 35 non-playoff bowl games for the 2024 season from best to worst. Alabama-Michigan ranked in the top 10 at No. 7, one spot behind the Music City Bowl matchup between the Missouri Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes.

Eddie Timanus of USA TODAY Sports explained his ranking for Alabama vs. Michigan this way:

“One might expect a rematch of a playoff game from a year ago to be higher on the list, though clearly a lot has changed at both programs since. The Wolverines’ decline was more precipitous than the Crimson Tide’s ebb, but both teams own victories against playoff teams, so clearly there is still enough roster talent to give us a quality contest.”

On that note, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and linebacker Jihaad Campbell announced last Thursday that they intended to play in the ReliaQeust Bowl. Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer had said earlier in the week that he didn’t expect many Alabama players to opt out for the game.

“I feel like right now we’re at a place where most of those guys are planning on playing,” DeBoer had told reporters.

Alabama and Michigan are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Dec. 31 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The game will be televised on ESPN. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 11 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25. Michigan is unranked.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions.