Who would’ve thought, as the Georgia Bulldogs were sailing through the 2023 season with an undefeated record, that they would not even be in the four-team college football playoff with a chance to win a third straight national title?

Some BetOnline patrons were writing off Nick Saban, especially after his Alabama Crimson Tide was beaten by Texas earlier in the season.

Well, now they might have an opportunity to avenge that defeat, and win the national title to boot. But they’ve got to get by very formidable opponent as they face the Michigan Wolverines in Pasadena.

In the Rose Bowl betting odds that have been posted on this game, Michigan is the team laying the short number:

Michigan Wolverines -2.5 (-105)
Alabama Crimson Tide +2.5 (-115)

Over 45.5 points -110
Under 45.5 points -110

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has been around about half the time this season, as he’s been busy serving suspensions. One of the things that’s admirable about this Michigan team is the fact that it’s worked this way through a huge controversy, which involved the possibility that someone on their athletic staff was recording hand signals used by other teams that compete in the Big Ten, thus making it easier to "decode" what plays are called.

More punishment may yet come down for that, but Harbaugh is off his suspension, and Michigan cleared its way through the Big Ten schedule, defeating archrival Ohio State, as well as Penn State, and then handling business pretty easily against Iowa in the conference title game, giving up only 213 yards on the way to a 26–0 victory.

Let’s see if the Wolverines can control things on the ground and sustain drives. Obviously the key guy in the backfield is Blake Corum, who scored 24 rushing touchdowns. But if you take a look at the injury to Zak Zinter, a key man on the interior of the offensive line, that is something Michigan will have to address with success if they’re going to move on.

On defense, Michigan has handled most teams, but there have not been a lot of explosive players on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Looking at the numbers, however, the Wolverines have allowed only 239 yards per game, allowing only two teams to even get to 300 yards. so the question that has to be asked by BetOnline customers is whether they can slow down the weaponry of Alabama, which might be a notch or two down from what we’ve seen in the last three or four years.

The miracle man here has been Jalen Milroe, who looked like a guy who might get replaced after that loss to Texas and a win over South Florida in which Alabama struggled offensively. But Nick Saban has really been impressed by the development of this kid, who has 10.4 yards per pass attempt with 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions. On top of that, he’s been cool under pressure, and delivered with a desperate last-second touchdown pass to beat hated rival Auburn, enabling Alabama to be here in the first place. Millroe will also take it on foot, as he scored a dozen touchdowns on the ground. Michigan has to do something to contain him.

We have not always seen Alabama dominate. They could’ve lost any number of games, including close victories over Texas A&M and Arkansas, in addition to that Iron Bowl victory over Auburn, and, while we’re at it, the SEC title game, where they won by only three points but, we should mention, held mighty Georgia to just 321 yards.

Something has to be said for the fact that Alabama got through what is probably the best conference in the nation, while the Big Ten might be a little weaker this season. Remember that Georgia had 29 victories in a row before they ran into a charged-up Alabama squad, And the argument can be made that the Crimson Tide is the team with more positive momentum. But of course. that’s just a judgment call.

In terms of gamesmanship, Saban has hired George Helow, the former Michigan linebacker coach, and put him on the staff. So maybe the team with more knowledge is not the one accused of cheating, but the one who has someone who used to be in the enemy camp.

We’ve mentioned some keys to this game. There are a few others that can’t be ignored. JJ McCarthy did not come down the stretch with a huge head of steam. The Michigan quarterback threw for just 496 yards in his last four games, and obviously it should be noted that three of those games came against capable defensive opponents like Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa. Alabama was rated #1 in pass coverage this year by Pro Football Focus, which gets respect.

The Tide may wind up forcing the Wolverines to be one dimensional. If so, they get a strong leg up.

Milroe is not perfect by any measure, but he has shown a propensity to make longer throws, connecting for 16 touchdowns with only one interception when he has heaved it 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage. So Michigan is going to have to defend the entire field; they can’t afford to cheat - pardon the pun.

And there is no doubt about the disparity between these two coaches, when it comes to winning bowl games. While Saban is a sizzling 16–6, Harbaugh is only 2–7, losing his last six bowl appearances.

On balance, Alabama in the underdog role is a play we can’t afford to pass up.

Make the move over to BetOnline and get more betting options on the college football playoff then you can get anywhere else! And remember that before the game, you can use Odds Boosters and Prop Builder to explore all the angles, with live betting available after the kickoff. Nobody gets shut out, because you can use your credit card or any of sixteen different cryptocurrency options to open up an account!