Big Ten and SEC Champs Collide in Pasadena Maven – Sports Illustrated National The Texas Longhorns are minutes away from taking on No. 2 Washington in the Allstate Sugar Bowl for a trip to the title.
They have conquered their demons of consistently falling on their face and not contending, and won their first Big 12 title since 2009. They now need one more win to advance to the title, and two more wins to win the whole darn thing. Who they or Washington, should they lose, will be going up against is No. 1 Michigan.
The Wolverines took down No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl in a game that was very much a defensive battle. Michigan needed overtime to pull off the 27-20 win, giving them their first College Football Playoff win. Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) celebrates with tight ends Colston Loveland (18) and AJ Barner (89) after scoring a touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half in the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl.
The Wolverines relied on the arm of quarterback JJ McCarthy, who threw for 221 yards and three scores. They were however able to overcome a strong second-half push from the Crimson Tide, who scored 10 fourth-quarter points to tie up the game. They also got a strong showing from their pass rush that got to Jalen Milroe six times, and luckily were able to overcome a possible mishap on a failed flea flicker attempt. The loss for Alabama ends their dream season that saw them go from losing to Texas and nearly losing to USF, to dominating down the stretch outside of their game against Auburn.
Michigan is expected to be favored against both Texas or Washington in the title game.
