3 Reasons Michigan Football will beat Georgia in the Orange Bowl

For the first time in program history, the Michigan Wolverines are competing in the College Football Playoffs for a shot at a national championship. Can they get past a dominant Bulldog squad en route to their end goal, or will they let this moment slip away?

When the preseason polls were released over 5 months ago, Michigan football didn’t land in the top-25 on any of them. Now, just a couple of days away from playing in the national semifinal, they find themselves ranked No. 2 nationally and a shot to win it all.

Many folks now still aren’t giving them a shot to secure a national championship, let alone get past Georgia.

But hey, that’s okay. These Wolverines have been counted out time and time again as we’ve said all year and if you asked them, I think their answer would no doubt be that they’d rather be counted out and the underdog anyway.

Georgia was anointed as a preseason favorite to not only make but win the national title. After a narrow win over the 3rd ranked Clemson Tigers week 1, they all but had it in the bag. Their only “real” test after that game? A thumping in Atlanta, Georgia in the SEC championship against rival Alabama.

Maybe the Bulldogs are just as good as we once thought. Maybe they do recover from getting their figurative hearts ripped out with everything on the line against a team their program hasn’t beaten since 2007, and whom their coach can’t get over the hump against. Maybe they do smack Michigan in the mouth and prove us all a liar.

But I have two eyes, and they tell a different story.

The Wolverines aren’t a team you get back on track against.

They’re a team you come ready and prepared for a three and a half hour root canal. A high octane war in the trenches. A battle of manhood and pure will.

That being said, here are my three reasons why Michigan beats Georgia. Let’s do this thing.

1. Michigan has the most momentum in the playoff

This might be an intangible. It might be an opinion. But when considering the facts, Michigan football has the most momentum of the four playoff teams.

In Michigan’s win against Penn State, the Wolverines overcame the inability to close out tough games on the road in bad conditions.

Against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan finally got the monkey off their backs and slayed the beast that has held the program down for the last 15 years.

Finally, when they got their shot in the Big Ten title game, they smacked Iowa and laid to rest any thought that they would lay an egg after an emotional win en route to capturing their first conference title since  2004.

Momentum is a tangible thing. Though it can’t be measured, a blind squirrel can see it. These Wolverines have it in spades.

On the flip side of the coin, let’s talk about Georgia and their momentum or lack thereof.

As stated at the outset of this article, the Georgia Bulldogs entered this season as a favorite to not only make the CFP but to win it. Despite some of those “big” wins at the time not ending up as great as they once appeared (I’m talking to you Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, and Florida), they still won all the games laid out in front of them en route to an undefeated 12-0 regular season.

Well, until the Death Star known as the Alabama Crimson Tide came knocking.

Alabama smacked them in the mouth and brought them to earth. And in the process of blowing the doors off the so-called “best team in the land”?

Killing all momentum that the Bulldogs had going for themselves. In fact, if you had to draw up a worst-case scenario for Georgia entering this game it arguably is the one they’re in now.

They have doubts surrounding their team and their ability to get over the hump. The quarterback position has a tremendous amount of uncertainty and a lack of trust from the fan base.

To be frank: they’re reeling.

Georgia will be looking to find some momentum of their own and they won’t get it. That’s not what you want to be doing going up against the hottest team in the country.

Expect Michigan to come out fast and loose, with nothing to lose. The same way the Wolverines have played all year.