Joel Klatt picks Alabama over Michigan in the Rose Bowl
Joel Klatt has been very pro-Michigan in these preview segments that he has done this season. He was a voice of comfort for us before the Penn State and Ohio State games in particular with his previews.
But he is now picking Alabama over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. His rationale is based on how poorly we ran the ball against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game (a game he called). He attributes that to the Zinter injury and does not think we can adequately overcome it.
IMO, Klatt is the best analyst in college football, so it's hard to argue with him. But I am a little surprised that he takes Michigan's offensive performance against Iowa at "face value". Once the Semaj return led to a TD, Michigan's offense was purposely shut down. At that point the intent of the offense was to keep things from happening, not to make anything happen.
I don't know how good the Michigan offense will be against Alabama, but it certainly won't be a repeat of the Michigan offense against Iowa.
But . . . Klatt has to call it the way he sees it and this is what he sees. I respect his analysis. And I hope it's wrong.
December 29th, 2023 at 4:51 PM ^
Agreed. Michigan beat Iowa really and went on cruise control. We had nothing to prove, and wanted to save plays and players for the playoff.
December 29th, 2023 at 4:58 PM ^
So many high-quality comments in this thread. It seems pretty clear what Michigan needs to do on offense. I hope we see them at least attempt it.
As someone said in another thread -- if Michigan goes for it and throws everything it has at the Bama D, it's a small positive even if we don't win.
December 29th, 2023 at 5:04 PM ^
Let's see here... we played Iowa 1 week after OSU.... I wonder if that might have something to do with our overall performance?
The OSU and PSU games are the most representative of our team
December 29th, 2023 at 5:20 PM ^
Michigan wasn't all that interesting on offense for the last six games. They barely ran PA, didn't diversify the run game enough. They didn't figure out how to use DE and rarely schemed up open receivers with motion. They are also undefeated because they are a very good team. With a more aggressive gameplan, QB run, orbit motion etc. I think they are the better team. My issue is they haven't been interested in that stuff during games against PSU and OSU that really mattered, and they failed to mash the PA button last year against TCU or run JJ until the 3rd quarter.
I think they are the better team. I hope the scheme shows up on their behalf.
December 29th, 2023 at 5:35 PM ^
The PA issue in stats below. Reminder, Michigan uses run a lot! So they should be primed to use it more than other teams!
Play Action Rate, 2023 Playoff Offenses Texas 50.2% Washington 33.5% Alabama 30.8% Michigan 20.2%
December 29th, 2023 at 5:37 PM ^
And I was at the Maryland and OSU games. A lot of the drivers were IZ, IZ, 3rd and 4-9 yards, save us JJ. Again, just annoyed because I think this is the year.
December 29th, 2023 at 5:24 PM ^
I mean, I get Alabama just beat Georgia. They also should’ve lost to Alabama and barely got by Arkansas.
Think there is some recency bias going on with how Michigan shut it down against Iowa vs Bama beating Georgia.
Is Alabama better than Ohio State?
December 29th, 2023 at 5:27 PM ^
Sounds good to me…MICHIGAN VS EVERYBODY !!〽️
December 29th, 2023 at 5:28 PM ^
Who cares.
December 29th, 2023 at 5:30 PM ^
I Don’t expect a W. I am content with winning the B1G and beating OSU. Everything else is the cherry on top. Hard to predict anything with 4 weeks off. Our last 7 years of post season futility is the reason. I will still root like crazy and hope they dominate!!
December 29th, 2023 at 5:32 PM ^
December 29th, 2023 at 5:41 PM ^
Joel Klatt might be a good analyst, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't farm clicks for big daddy fox like the rest of his brothers and sisters.
December 29th, 2023 at 6:21 PM ^
we all know Michigan turtled on offense. National analysts never picked that up. There is more in the playbook and it’s going to be opened up because it’s all or nothing
December 29th, 2023 at 7:58 PM ^
We did?
We will? Based on what?
December 29th, 2023 at 8:27 PM ^
Based on three years of watching THIS team. They do what they need to win under Harbaugh and they’ve gotten very good at it. They adapt to their opponents. This particular team is easily the most prepared and focused. Will they win? I certainly hope so. But to be BPONE is a bit much. The saddest thing is even if they do win the whole thing there will be a narrative against them.
December 29th, 2023 at 11:40 PM ^
Good heavens. Start with Penn State game. Michigan got the lead and elected to run out the game starting in the 2nd quarter. Michigan beat the point spread in games against Iowa, PSU, and OSU with the top 10 defenses.
If you are thinking about Harbaugh's early years, when it appeared that Michigan didn't even know what is a two minute drill they have demonstrated the ability to run hurry-up when appropriate over the last two seasons. I am hopeful.
December 29th, 2023 at 6:29 PM ^
I think Michigan’s historical bowl performance, our recent performance against the SEC, and our recent performance against mobile qbs make me most pessimistic about this game. Historically Michigan loses this game 80% of the time. If you remove all history from your assessment and just look at this year I think Michigan is the favorite. They’re better in advanced statistics, have done enough (and often nothing more) to win each game by a comfortable margin, and Vegas thinks they’re better. This Alabama team is good, but not great. They’re being bumped up by Alabama teams of the past, just ask Michigan is bumped down by teams of the past in this situation. I’m going to choose the optimistic side and look only at this year. This Michigan team is different. 2 years of failures have galvanized this team. I think Michigan gets it done this year.
December 29th, 2023 at 6:42 PM ^
What gives me a little bit of added hope:
The media makes its money based off clicks and views.
Vegas makes its money based off of being right.
It’s a very slim margin at 1.5, but even by the slimmest of margins, Vegas still thinks Michigan is better.
December 29th, 2023 at 6:31 PM ^
Has there ever been a #1 seed that everyone was so sure was going to lose?
Honestly at this point you’d think Alabama was this unstoppable force at the 1 seed and Michigan was the 4 seed that got there by default, should just be grateful for the opportunity and should take its inevitable beating with grace and dignity and step aside so the big boys in Tuscaloosa can take care of business…..
December 29th, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
I'm no more worried seeing that than I was before seeing it.
JJ was playing hurt the last few games, yet we won them all. One week after the Zinter injury, it's understandable that the O-line was a little discombobulated in the Iowa game, and looked kind of patchwork. I do think we miss Zinter, but that doesn't make this game a gimme for Alabama.
Iowa was the first game back for Harbaugh as well, and that might have affected play calling.
Our defense is very, very good. That's huge in a championship run. JJ is a wonderfully good QB. The RBs are excellent. Is our O-line any worse than Alabama's? I guess we'll find out.
We have a great opportunity on Monday; I think we will see JJ at his best. If we do, we win.
December 29th, 2023 at 6:57 PM ^
I feel like none of these guys give their real opinions and have a preset script of talking points given to them by their handlers. It just comes down to who's delivery you prefer.
December 29th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^
Didn’t he also call osu the last two years over Michigan?
December 29th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^
The offense will be about JJ. JJ will be the X factor, and this will be his game. The playbook will be open, he make his reads and win the game.
as fans, we will say where was this all year. Similar to the Lloyd bowl against Florida
December 29th, 2023 at 7:48 PM ^
How can anyone with a sound mind not pick "SEC" in the playoff right now... especially Nick Saban and Ala-fuckin-bama? If we are all honest the B1G just hasn't been good at football in a long long time. Until Michigan wins in the playoff they don't deserve anyone's pick at least not vs SEC champ.
Now having said all that I do believe Michigan wins this game but I'm not shocked nor upset that Bama is getting all the love...they deserve and have earned it.
Just win and it so we can put this SEC bull fuck to sleep
December 29th, 2023 at 8:00 PM ^
Yeah they should be the pre game favorites. No problem with anybody picking them. My issue is with the vanilla ass takes from all these so called experts. Its just the same regurgitated talking points from every one of them. They just format it around differently and call it unique. Klatt is no different in this regard.
December 29th, 2023 at 8:42 PM ^
I'm predicting a nice sized emotional hedge bet on Alabama ML.
December 29th, 2023 at 9:13 PM ^
Even with a healthy All-American guard Zak Zinter and with J. J. McCarthy and Will Johnson having had sufficient time to recover from their injuries, I would be joining the pessimism/BPONE chorus . . . with one caveat.
I never thought that Michigan, in Lloyd Carr's final game, had much of a chance to beat Urban Meyer's/Tim Tebow's Florida team in the 2008 Capitol One Bowl, but then THIS happened.
Now, 16 years to the date of when Michigan upset what appeared to be a more-talented Florida team in a bowl game, I hold out just a slight bit of hope that Michigan can upset a more-talented Alabama team.
December 30th, 2023 at 3:58 PM ^
Michigan is more talented.
December 29th, 2023 at 11:10 PM ^
This is going to have to be the most creative offensive play calling in the Harbaugh era for us to win. I'm worried pass protection will be a major struggle. We'll keep it close but I think they force some second half mistakes unfortunately
December 29th, 2023 at 11:30 PM ^
I like Joel Klatt and he has to say something but his number one reason is that he expects "good" Alabama to show up. He expects Saban to have a plan for this and that. He also said some worthwhile specific match-ups but I don't find his argument that compelling but then it is a one point spread.
December 29th, 2023 at 11:38 PM ^
the intent of the offense was to keep things from happening, not to make anything happen
unfortunately this has been the case too often veor the years, to point where many are concerned that Michigan's offense has the capability to make things happen when they need to