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Michigan football's history playing Alabama, the SEC

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•12/09/24•

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Roman Wilson
Michigan Wolverines football wide receiver Roman Wilson scored the game-tying touchdown against Alabama. (Photo by Dominick Sokotoff / TheWolverine.com)

Michigan Wolverines football had lost its last four games against SEC opponents until Jan. 1, when it knocked off Alabama in epic fashion, winning 27-20 in overtime at the Rose Bowl. That victory pushed the Maize and Blue to their first-ever national championship game, where they were crowned atop the college football world with a 34-13 triumph over Washington.

Michigan trailed 20-13 with 4:41 remaining, before the Wolverines marched 75 yards in eight plays, highlighted by a touchdown pass from J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson. The defense stopped Alabama to force overtime, where running back Blake Corum ran for a score and the Wolverines’ defense made a goal-line stand on fourth down.

The win was years in the making. Not only had Michigan fallen to the SEC in recent seasons, but it had lost two-consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal games. The Wolverines got over the hump and won their first national championship since 1997.

U-M’s four previous games against the SEC were a 34-11 loss to Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl, a 35-16 Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama Jan. 1, 2019, a 41-15 setback to Florida in the 2018 Peach Bowl and a 26-19 defeat at the hands of South Carolina in the Jan. 1, 2018, Outback Bowl. Their last victory against the SEC before last season was a 33-17 win over Florida to open the 2017 campaign.

Michigan did take on the conference to the south earlier this season, playing new member Texas at The Big House Sept. 7. The Longhorns won the second-ever matchup between the two blue bloods, 31-12, and went on to earn a College Football Playoff bid.

Michigan has fared well against the SEC throughout history, with a 26-13-1 record, and it’ll get the chance to improve on that mark Dec. 31 at the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, which missed the CFP for the first time since 2020. The Maize and Blue are 9-9 in bowl games versus the league.

Michigan is 3-3 versus the Crimson Tide, having won last year’s meeting after losing two in a row — 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.

The third meeting — the 2000 Orange Bowl — is one of 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.

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

DateVenueOpponentResult
Sept. 7, 2024Michigan StadiumTexasL, 31-12
Jan. 1, 2024Rose BowlAlabamaW, 27-20 (OT)
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, TexasAlabamaL, 41-14

Michigan’s bowl game history

Michigan is set for its 53rd-ever bowl game, the 11th-most among FBS schools. The Maize and Blue are 23-29 in such postseason contests.

The Wolverines have played in six ReliaQuest Bowls (previously known as the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl) and own a 3-3 record in the event. The Maize and Blue are 1-1 versus Alabama in the bowl, with a win in 1988 and a loss in 1997.

Michigan’s last appearance in the then-Outback Bowl came during the 2017 season, a 26-19 setback against South Carolina on Jan. 1, 2018. The Wolverines’ last victory in Tampa was at the close of the 2002 season, a 38-30 win over Florida on Jan. 1, 2003.

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