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Michigan football's history against Alabama, the SEC

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•12/08/23•

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Karan Higdon
(Photo by Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

No. 1 Michigan will take on No. 4 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, looking to even up the all-time series with the Crimson Tide.

The Maize and Blue are currently 2-3 versus the opponent from Tuscaloosa, having lost the last two meetings — the season-opener in 2012 (41-14)  and the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1, 2020 (35-16). Michigan won the first matchup, 28-24 in the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl, before falling to the Tide in the 1997 Outback Bowl, 17-14.

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The third meeting — the 2000 Orange Bowl — is the most memorable of the bunch, with quarterback Tom Brady and Michigan coming back from 14-0 and 28-14 to force overtime and eventually win after Alabama missed what would’ve been a game-tying extra point.

Historically, Michigan has fared well against the SEC, with a 26-15-1 record against programs that are currently in that conference. In bowl games, however, the Wolverines are 8-9 versus the league.

The Maize and Blue have also lost their last four tilts against SEC opponents — 34-11 to Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl, the aforementioned Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama, 41-15 to Florida in the 2018 Peach Bowl and 26-19 to South Carolina in the Jan. 1, 2018 Outback Bowl. Their last victory against the SEC was a 33-17 win over Florida to open the 2017 campaign.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is 2-4 against the Southeastern Conference, and if there’s one knock on the Wolverines over the past three seasons, in which they’ve won 38 games, is that they haven’t beaten teams from the South, losing to the Bulldogs to cap off the 2021 season and TCU in the CFP semifinal in 2022, 51-45.

Here’s a look at Michigan’s last 10 games against the SEC:

DateVenueOpponentResult
Dec. 31, 2021Orange BowlGeorgiaL, 34-11
Jan. 1, 2020Citrus BowlAlabamaL, 35-16
Dec. 29, 2018Peach BowlFloridaL, 41-15
Jan. 1, 2018Outback BowlSouth CarolinaL, 26-19
Sept. 2, 2017Arlington, TexasFloridaW, 33-17
Jan. 1, 2016Citrus BowlFloridaW, 41-7
Jan. 1, 2013Outback BowlSouth CarolinaL, 33-28
Sept. 1, 2012Arlington, Tex.AlabamaL, 41-14
Jan. 1, 2011Gator BowlMississippi StateL, 52-14
Jan. 1, 2008Capital One BowlFloridaW, 41-35

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