Keys to the game: Michigan vs. Georgia in the Orange Bowl

What’s been about a month has felt like a year waiting for Michigan to play its first-ever College Football Playoff game. The Wolverines will face Georgia Friday in the Orange Bowl, with the winner to face Alabama (likely) or Cincinnati in the national championship game, and it’s been a long time coming.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh vowed to bet on himself when he accepted a contract for less money before the season. He had a chance to earn what he’d made previously with a Big Ten title and playoff run — and, well, director of athletics Warde Manuel continues to make trips to his cash register.

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Georgia will be the best opponent Michigan has faced this year — we think. The Bulldogs really haven’t played a tough schedule, and the one really good opponent they faced — Alabama — thrashed them.

Offensively, they’re rather pedestrian, frankly. Make them one-dimensional and ask quarterback Stetson Bennett to make plays, and you’ll probably be OK. It’s the defense that scares you.

“They’ve got tremendous talent on the defensive front and even in the back seven, and so we’ve got a tremendous challenge on our hands,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said this week. “And obviously, we’re a really talented offense.

“This is going to be a heavyweight matchup, two heavyweight teams offensively and defensively going against each other on Friday night.”

Here’s what Michigan needs to do to pull out a victory on New Year’s Eve. If the Wolverines win, they book their spot for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.

Have some success on the ground

Not a lot, mind you just some. Michigan needs to be able to run with some success to keep the Bulldogs honest, but not always on the so-called “running downs.” The key to beating an extremely talented, athletic defense is keeping it off balance.

In short, do what you do best, of course, but break tendency at times and don’t be predictable.

Michigan didn’t have great success running between the tackles against Iowa, for example. It was tough sledding aside from a big play from freshman running back Blake Corum, a 67-yard touchdown.

The Wolverines had success outside the tackles, though, and have implemented a stretch zone with Corum with lots of success late in the year. There will be a heavy dose of Hassan Haskins this game, too — you don’t abandon what’s worked, and he was key against a similar defense (Penn State) this year. They’ll need to wear the Bulldogs down and win the fourth quarter.

But they can’t panic, either, if they’re not moving the ball well on the ground early. Michigan had to abandon its game plan in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama due to the Crimson Tide’s ridiculous speed. Tom Brady to David Terrell won that game.

Michigan isn’t going to win with redshirt freshman Cade McNamara throwing 45 times, though. There needs to be at least a bit of balance.

Make Georgia’s offense one-dimensional and pressure Stetson Bennett

Georgia has been very similar to Michigan offensively this year. The Bulldogs have had games they’ve won in which Bennett threw for less than 100 yards, similar to McNamara against Washington. They’ve also won games in which Bennett aired it out and threw for four touchdowns.

Backup J.T. Daniels has seen some time, too, and he could be a factor.

“They both have great command of the offense and how the offense is set up,” Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said of the quarterbacks. “They’re very similar to our football team. They play complementary football. They know where to go with the ball.

“They really make you defend the entire width of the field. And then with their play action on the first- and second-down game, they can get the ball to their guys who don’t lack speed at any position and get it to them in really any part of the field.”

Bennett is more willing to take off and run when a play breaks down, but he’s also skittish under pressure. He completes around 30 percent of his throws when being stressed. If the Wolverines can stop the run and unleash defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, and apply consistent pressure, they’ll keep the Georgia offense in check.

Have the Michigan defenders keep a close eye on the tight ends

And one in particular — elite receiver Brock Bowers. He has caught 791 yards in passes this year and 239 in his last two games, including 139 vs. Alabama.

“He’s really dynamic. The thing they do with him is he really plays every position,” Macdonald said. “The Z, the Y, the X, the move guy, the down guy. They’ll give it to him on reverses, screens. It’s pretty impressive. It’s a tribute to their coaching staff for putting him in positions to affect the game.

“The difference between a tight end and a receiver is that a receiver you can build some things to find him, where he’s at, and try to get multiple guys on him. Tight end, it’s a little bit more difficult.”

They key, Macdonald said, will be to scout them well and see what Bowers likes to do out of certain formations. Even then, you’ve got to make sure you know where he is at all times.

The Breakdown: Michigan Wolverines football vs. Georgia

Few are giving Michigan a chance to beat Georgia … and that’s just the way they like it. The Wolverines are 7.5-point underdogs across the board as of Tuesday — similar to the Ohio State line, and we all saw how that one turned out.

No, we aren’t predicting a similar 42-27 drubbing. This one will probably be much more like the Penn State game if Michigan wins, a fourth-quarter contest that comes down to a play here or there. We expect a low-scoring affair in which turnovers and/or a big play or two determines the outcome.

But this certainly isn’t the one-sided affair some have made it out to be. The Wolverines are here to win, and the preparation has been outstanding.

Friday can’t get here soon enough.