Michigan football's preseason bowl projection released by ESPN
Michigan football made its first trip to the College Football Playoff in 2021 and was humbled by the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Wolverines have designs on getting back, but a prominent outlet still has them on the outside ahead of the 2022 season.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura released their preseason bowl projections, which leave Michigan out of the College Football Playoff. Those four spots are currently earmarked for Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson.
In their scenario, Michigan would be destined for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Jan. 2 against Pac-12 opponent Utah. Both analysts are in lockstep with that as the postseason spot for Michigan.
The series with the Utes is one of the few that Michigan is not on the right side of historically. Utah owns a 3-1 advantage over the Wolverines all-time with victories in 2008, 2014 and 2015. Michigan’s only win against the Utes game in 2002 was a 10-7 victory in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines’ last trip to the Rose Bowl came on Jan. 1, 2007, a 32-18 loss to USC. Michigan has not won the Rose Bowl since a 21-16 win over Washington State to conclude the 1997 National Championship season.
Michigan feels it has the goods to make another push for the playoff, but it is clear they will once again have to defy the odds set by national pundits, especially as it pertains to the Buckeyes. A trip to the Rose Bowl used to be the prize for winning the Big Ten, but now it is more likely than not a consolation prize for missing out on the playoff.
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Both Schlabach and Bonagura believe that it will come down to a Crimson Tide vs. Buckeyes national title showdown when it is all said and done.
“Alabama and Ohio State are head and shoulders above the other CFP contenders heading into the season, but defending national champion Georgia could get to that level by season’s end,” Schlabach said. The Bulldogs have to replace 15 players who were selected in the NFL draft and helped them win their first national title in 41 years. The losses are especially heavy on defense. Under Kirby Smart, Georgia has reached a level where it simply reloads, but there might be some early growing pains.
“Still, it would be difficult to find a regular-season opponent that can beat the Bulldogs. I considered the same three teams as Kyle did for my final CFP spot — Clemson, Oklahoma and Utah — and ended up going with the Tigers for now. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is going to have to dramatically improve for Clemson to get to the top four.”
The two analysts are split on Michigan State’s postseason destination. Bonagura has MSU in the Reliaquest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) in Tampa vs. LSU on Jan 2, while Schlabach has them in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C. vs. Wake Forest.
