The Michigan Wolverines are 7-2 after an underwhelming 21-16 win against Purdue over the weekend. With a much needed bye week to get healthy and prepare for the final three games of the season, we are approaching that time of the year where fans begin to wonder which bowl games the Wolverines may have a shot at making this season if they don’t make the College Football Playoff (don’t laugh…it’s still technically possible).
Before we dive into the inaugural edition of this year’s bowl projection roundup,
here are the bowl games that Big Ten teams are tied to this season:
- GameAbove Sports Bowl (vs. MAC)
- Rate Bowl (vs. Big 12)
- Pinstripe Bowl (vs. ACC)
- Music City Bowl (vs. SEC)
- ReliaQuest Bowl (vs. SEC)
- Citrus Bowl (vs. SEC)
- Las Vegas Bowl (vs. current/former Pac-12)
Without further ado, here are the latest bowl projections for Michigan:
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach: Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31) vs. Texas
On3’s Brett McMuprhy: Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31) vs. Texas
The Athletic: Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31) vs. Texas
Athlon Sports: Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31) vs. Texas
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford: Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31) vs. Tennessee
Well, it sure does look like Michigan will be headed to Orlando this bowl season to take on an SEC team — likely Texas — if it doesn’t run the table and make the CFP (again, save your laughs, it’s still possible!)
This has been a trendy spot for the Wolverines over the last couple weeks, with McMurphy really leading the charge on this being Michigan’s bowl destination. Now, every other place on the internet is also projecting Michigan to play in the Citrus Bowl.
The only outlier that doesn’t have Texas in this game is Crawford, who has the Wolverines going up against the Tennessee Volunteers instead. Personally, I would much rather see Michigan take on Texas — the Longhorns are a better team, would give Michigan a better fight overall and would give Michigan a shot at revenge for the blowout loss at the Big House last year. It doesn’t appear Arch Manning will be leaving for the NFL after this season, so chances are he would play in this game and give Michigan’s defense a great challenge to end the season. Plus, this would be the most aesthetically pleasing matchup with two of the best uniform combos in all of college football.
Even though making a bowl game isn’t the ultimate goal anymore for any major college football program, this is still a quality bowl game that would provide Michigan’s young guys with an opportunity to end the season on a high note while gaining valuable experience against a good opponent. Fans may not care about the result of these games, but you bet the players and coaching staffs take these games as seriously as any other game.
What do you make of these projections? Do you think this is where Michigan will play this postseason? Do you like this bowl destination? Let us know what you think down in the comments section.
