5 Bold Predictions for Michigan Football: Orange Bowl edition

Looking ahead to the Orange Bowl matchup with Georgia, here are five bold predictions for Michigan football.

In less than 10 days, your Michigan football team will be taking the field in Miami, battling it out for glory heading into the New Year. How does that sound?

No, Georgia is not the most fun matchup in the world, as they are pretty much the “Little Brother” of the SEC (Alabama is Big Brother FYI) but hey, as we’ve seen this year already, Little Brother comes to play.

I’m sure Georgia fans are grumbling and saying the same things that Michigan football fans are. Things like, “why do we have to play each other? We’re practically the same team! It’s going to be a slugfest. Georgia is going to destroy Michigan.” Etc, etc.

In regards to that last statement, I love to hear it. That SEC bias and overconfidence. No, I’m not saying 100% that I think that Michigan will win, but for Georgia fans (not all but some) to just not even give Michigan a chance is plain disrespectful.

If those fans go back and watch Michigan play against OSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Washington, they should be scared or at least extremely nervous. Don’t sleep on this Michigan team.

And with that all of that being said, here’s five bold  (but realistic) predictions that I think could happen in the Orange Bowl on December 31st:

Jake Moody makes two 50+ yard FGs

I bet nobody expected that prediction did they? Special teams frankly aren’t talked about enough with these two playoff teams.

We always hear people say this, but this game might truly come down to a field position battle. As mentioned before, and as I’m sure everyone has heard countless times, but Michigan and Georgia mirror each other well.

They both have stout front-sevens, both have great offensive lines, and both have similar game-manager quarterbacks.

So, with that in mind, how does each team score on the other? Well, whichever team can move the ball the most into the other’s territory will probably win.

I trust Michigan’s special teams more than I trust Georgia’s. Jake Moody has only missed two field goals all year. He hasn’t needed to be relied on as much down the stretch.

That being said, Michigan’s offense will be stopped at least once or twice outside the red zone and will have to settle for a field goal (the same thing I think that will happen to Georgia’s offense against Michigan’s defense).

I think one will happen just before halftime (Georgia very well could be this team instead) and I think one will happen sometime in the second half as well. Moody hasn’t had to kick too many 50+ yard field goals, but I just think he shows up here in the biggest stage.

Field goal kickers practice every day too, and the Lou Groza Award winner was born for this, on the biggest stage.