The Michigan Wolverines will take on Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Rose Bowl in less than a week. The Wolverines are headed to their third consecutive postseason, but they have yet to secure a victory.
Although the Wolverines are favoured on the ESPN FPI, which presently gives them a 55.6 percent probability to defeat the Crimson Tide, they are also a modest favourite according to Vegas oddsmakers heading into the Rose Bowl. They also stand a 36 percent chance of taking home the National Championship.In the meantime, the Crimson Tide’s chances of winning their first National Championship since 2020 are 26.9 percent.

It’s December 5th, 2009. We’re in Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 Championship Game. Down two, Texas is lined up for a field goal attempt that would punch their ticket to the BCS National Championship Game. For Nebraska, if this score holds then they’ll bring home their first conference title since 1999, while simultaneously throwing a major wrench into the BCS title race. So to better appreciate that, to understand what’s going through Colt McCoy’s head, to recognize the game-wrecking greatest of Ndamukong Suh, and to remember why we’ve still got this one tick on the clock, we need to rewind.