Previewing Michigan Football vs Georgia in the Orange Bowl
On New Year’s Eve, No. 2 Michigan football (12-1 overall, 9-1 Big Ten) will clash with No. 3 Georgia (12-1, 8-1 SEC) in the Wolverines’ first ever College Football Playoff appearance.
The Wolverines, coming off of back-to-back impressive wins over top-15 opponents, will be looking to pick up their second bowl win under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Meanwhile, Georgia will look to rally from an embarrassing 41-24 loss at the hands of Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Michigan must reach National Championship this season
Since the hiring in 2015, the narrative behind the Wolverines has remained the same. Though Jim Harbaugh has led Michigan to three New Year’s Six bowl, four 10-or-more win seasons, two division titles, and a Big Ten Championship, Harbaugh has struggled against top-10 teams and rivals.
Since Harbaugh’s first season in 2015, Michigan is 3-13 against top-10 opponents, 3-4 against Michigan State, and 1-5 against Ohio State. Notably, Harbaugh is also 2-1 against Iowa, 3-3 against Wisconsin, and 4-3 against Penn State.
For Michigan, 2021 has been a groundbreaking season. After being given a 0.05% chance to make the playoff, Michigan football has defied all odds and done it.
Many expected the Wolverines to post a record no better than 8-4, although some predictions ranged as low as 6-6. After all, Michigan was coming off of an embarrassing 2-4 campaign in 2020 and was scheduled to face off against 10 power-5 opponents and two strong MAC teams.
After getting off to a hot start in non-conference play, the Wolverines stumbled into the Big Ten after narrowly escaping a home match-up against Rutgers, 20-13. Even after a 4-0 start, many fans still did not believe that Michigan was a legitimate contender.
Like many of Harbaugh’s other great years, Michigan’s season was defined by an early-season game against Wisconsin.
Michigan would head into Camp Randall and defeat the Badgers in their stadium for the first time since 2001 and prove that this team was much different than those of years past.
Eight games later, Michigan stands alone as Big Ten champs with a 12-1 record and ranked second in the nation heading into the College Football Playoff.
The Wolverines, who had been knocking on the door for years, have finally broken through the glass ceiling. In the playoff era, the only thing standing between Michigan and its first national title berth is the 3rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.