Xam’s Daily Gem:
Michigan Money Line -130
It’s never easy betting against Alabama and Nick Saban, but Alabama is very fortunate to be in this game. They had several close wins against teams you’d expect them to dominate. They had a fortunate win against Auburn and others as well. Their offense, while better in the 2nd half of the season, was inconsistent throughout the year. Michigan, meanwhile, kept taking care of business despite dealing with adversity. Michigan has the superior defense and they’ll be sure to focus on keeping Jalen Milroe in the pocket and beat them with his arm. On offense, this game will go through running back Blake Corum. He’s been the best player they’ve had offensively, and Michigan won’t want QB JJ McCarthy to have to win the game for them. McCarthy does have plenty of weapons to work with, however. Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson have been weapons all year and McCarthy will be sure to target them early and often in this game. Like so many other big games, this game will likely come down to turnovers and mistakes. If Michigan can avoid making mistakes offensively, their defense should be able to do enough to contain the Alabama offense. Michigan simply doesn’t make mistakes. They were number 1 in fewest penalties, number 2 in turnover margin, and by several metrics had one of the best defenses in the entire country. The key here will be containing Jalen Milroe. Of course, it’s easier said than done, and to Milroe’s credit, he got better as the season went on. However, no defense he faced this year can really compare to everything Michigan can do defensively. Expect Michigan to exorcise some demons from last year and get to the CFB Championship game.