The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines faced off in this year’s Rose Bowl. It was one of two College Football Playoff (CFP) semi-final games. However, there was more controversy surrounding this game going into it.
That is because Alabama’s inclusion was controversial. They made it over the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles. Now, many question if this was the right decision after losing to the Michigan Wolverines.
Alabama Crimson Tide Loses to the Michigan Wolverines 27-20 in OT
It was a competitive game and only the third CFP game ever to go to overtime. Early in the fourth quarter, it looked like Alabama may even win this game. However, Michigan ended up tying the game with just 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Then, Blake Corum scored a touchdown in overtime in record-breaking fashion. After that, Jalen Milroe came up short in his touchdown rushing attempt for Alabama on fourth and goal. As a result, he failed to “let the naysayers know” and Michigan ended up winning the game.
Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
CFP Controversy
The CFP committee received a ton of backlash for giving Alabama the final spot in the CFP. Picking them over Florida State, who went 13-0 and won the ACC title, received the majority of the backlash. It led to a meaningless Orange Bowl filled with dozens of opt outs and transfers. As a result, Georgia beat Florida State 63-3 and even Georgia head coach Kirby Smart felt that was not right.
Speaking of Georgia, there was also an argument to put them in the CFP. Their case was more difficult considering they lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship. However, they were the two-time defending champions and many people felt like they were the best overall team in college football. Nevertheless, we ended up with Alabama.
Fan Reactions After the Loss
College football fans wasted no time letting the CFP committee know how they felt about this game. Many fans were eager to respond to the Alabama loss. Here are some of the most notable comments on social media:
“FSU and Bama not making it… everyone can settle down now.”
“Enjoy retirement Saban!!!”
“FSU would have cleared Michigan.”
“FSU shoulda been here anyways.”
“Yes I’m so happy for Michigan! I am so happy Alabama got this L! They deserved it! You reap what you sow! You stole FSU’s spot, and tonight you reaped it!!”
As you can see, many commenters felt that Florida State should have been in this game. While we will never know how the Seminoles would have performed in this spot, we do know that the Crimson Tide failed to live up to CFP committee expectations. Now, there may be egg on their face.
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1 Comment
Game went into overtime. Seemed pretty close to me (and Alabama wasnt even playing very well) Forget FSU, question should be “what if Goergia had been there”