5 things we learned from Michigan football's ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama

For the second straight game, Michigan football shocked the college football world.

Nobody, outside the Wolverines lockeroom expected them to win in Columbus. After with a ton of opt-outs most expected Michigan football to lay down for Alabama.

The Crimson Tide were supposed to be in the College Football Playoff, after all, just listen to Kirk Herbstreit. But Michigan football ended that narrative with a 19-13 win that clinched an eighth win for the Wolverines.

Sherrone Moore's team has won consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 11 as a three-score underdog. Michigan football beat Ohio State and Alabama (twice) in 2024 and here are five things we learned from another epic upset.

Sherrone Moore was a great hire

Some Michigan football fans were questioning Sherrone Moore this season and at times, things didn't look great. But as it turned out, the Wolverines weren't that far off. It just took longer than expected to come together.

If they were able to pull out close wins over Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, they would have had an interesting argument for the playoff. By the way, Michigan played 10 teams that were bowl-eligible. The schedule was always going to be difficult but Michigan ended up playing Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, USC, and Washington -- all in the same season (all those teams had winning records).

Illinois and Indiana were ranked too, plus Fresno State had a solid year too in the Mountain West. If the Wolverines had an easier schedule things could have gone differently.

As it stands, Moore beat two top-11 teams away from home with Davis Warren starting at quarterback. That's incredible and a sign of a great head coach.

The 2024 season was one of missed opportunity, but it will also go down as one of the greatest 8-5 seasons in college football history. It will also bring the springboard for the Sherrone Moore era which starts in earnest now.

This is truly his program now and that's a good thing.

The defense will be dominant again

It turns out that all of the Wolverines opting out was a blessing in disguise. I've been saying for years that Derrick Moore will be a first-round pick someday and he showed why on Tuesday.

Moore was part of a defensive line that sacked Jalen Milroe and pressured him on 41 percent of his passes. The Wolverines had 27 total pressures -- five more than the Ohio State game.

The fact that the Wolverines did it without Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Josaiah Stewart was impressive as hell. T.J. Guy was just as effective and Rayshaun Benny also looked like an early-round pick. All three did. Cameron Brandt and Trey Pierce played well too.

Frankly, who wouldn't want to play for Wink Martindale and Michigan? The Wolverines allowed a combined three points to Ohio State and Alabama in the second half of those wins. In the ReliaQuest Bowl, they did it with nine, sometimes 10 players on the field who should be back next season.

I say should because you never know with the NFL draft, but if Benny, Moore, and Guy all return, this defense will be elite. Again.

The fact that they did all this with Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, and Aamir Hall at cornerback, who are all expected back next season, is even more impressive.

Player development was a staple of the Jim Harbaugh era. You wondered how it would look under Sherrone Moore, but if the defense is any indication, it's still a strength.

Now, picture the defense we saw on Tuesday, paired with an improved offensive line, the No. 1 overall quarterback/veteran Mikey Keene, the No. 1 transfer portal running back, and more names to be added.

The future is bright and not just because of Bryce Underwood.

Jordan Marshall is going to be a star

For the fourth year in a row, Michigan football will have one of the best running back tandems in the Big Ten conference.

The Wolverines have already landed Justice Haynes, the No. 1 running back from the transfer portal, but Jordan Marshall, after getting just eight carries all season, carried the ball 23 times for 100 yards. He also did it against a loaded box (understatement) and forced 12 missed tackles.

When Michigan desperately needed points, and Alex Orji was playing quarterback, so everyone knew what was coming, Marshall still got 24 yards to set up the final field goal. The Wolverines needed three more points and without those, that game might have gone to overtime or worse.

Evan Link probably won't be the starting left tackle next season, but he had some nice run blocks and I think he'd make for a good guard. He wouldn't be left on an island for pass protection and has already proven he's an above-average run blocker. Andrew Sprague didn't look out of place at all and if the Wolverines added another O-line starter or two from the portal, the running game should be elite.

Also, having the threat of a passing game will make a huge difference. The Wolverines didn't have that this season and still ran for 157 yards per game (4.2 average). Next season, if teams load the box, there will be a price to pay that just wasn't there this season.

That all bodes well for Marshall, who is already drawing comparisons to Blake Corum.

The culture is intact

When Michigan football was sitting at 5-5 the season could have gone a few different ways. No one expected three straight wins though and even though those wins didn't lead to a trophy, outside of the ReliaQuest Bowl Trophy, it showed us a lot about the culture.

We have wondered if Sherrone Moore could maintain the culture. He did and then some. The reaction of Michigan football players when it started raining was something Ben Herbert would be proud of.

Herbert was always a proponent of throwing players into the elements, into difficult situations like that to have them mentally ready. As a result of instilling that mindset which is still around, Michigan was prepared for the rain and Bama wasn't. U-M embraced it. They embrace the suck and the culture, well, it's still strong.

This team got better after that bye week. It rallied around its coach and it delivered one of the most memorable three-game runs in Michigan history, especially one that didn't result in a Big Ten title.

Michigan's stock is rising

The Wolverines stock was on the rise the second they flipped Bryce Underwood from LSU, but they have only improved that since then.

The wins over Ohio State and Alabama give this program a ton of juice heading into the offseason. Beating Alabama showed that the Ohio State upset wasn't a fluke. It also showed Michigan football can still stand up to the blue-bloods, even when the cupboard isn't fully stocked.

With Chip Lindsey, a proven offensive coordinator coming in, the offense is going to take a huge leap in passing-game production. That's true whether Underwood, Keene, or a combinaton of both are playing quarterback next season.

The bowl game also revealed some emerging weapons on offense. Fred Moore had a great game and a massive touchdown catch on a contested ball. Hogan Hansen continues to flash potential, while Marshall and Ben Hall ran the ball well.

Michigan is projected to land UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell, who had over 800 receiving yards in 2024, along with Donavan McCulley (already signed). The Wolverines also signed two wide receiver recruits ranked in the top 200 overall.

And they aren't finished, on either side of the ball in terms of adding talent from the portal, which should be easier after another huge win.