Say bye to 2024 in style by checking out our 2 college football best bets for December 31. Our CFB insider previews the ReliaQuest Bowl and the Citrus Bowl here. Enjoy the games and have a happy and prosperous New Year!
The season was not what either of these 2 teams had expected in the preseason. Granted, they both lost their long-standing legendary head coaches, but the programs were still expected to perform at a higher level than they each did this year. For Bama, their losses to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were unexpected and ultimately derailed the Tide’s hopes of advancing to the College Football Playoff.
For Michigan, their season was over before it really got started. An early loss to Texas was followed by 4 losses in 5 games in the middle of the season. However, they did end things on a very high note, as they defeated their arch-rivals Ohio State on the road in one of the biggest upset wins in the history of their rivalry.
Alabama is likely to be a bit bitter as they had hoped the extended playoff format would favor them and they would sneak into the postseason. Unfortunately, the committee chose teams that ultimately fell in the early rounds. This game could be an opportunity for Bama to prove that they should have been selected and put it in the committee’s mind for future years.
Bama will hold a decided advantage on the offensive side of things. They are 26th in the nation, scoring 35.5ppg. For Michigan, they have relied on their defense to make up for the 22.3ppg their offense has averaged, which is outside the top 200 in the nation.
We expect Alabama to take care of business here in blowout fashion. As a Michigan fan, I do not see this team getting up for this game after their emotional win over Ohio State. It is more likely that they will be in a letdown spot.
Statistically, the Wolverines cannot hold a candle to the Tide and that should be exposed in this game. Let’s lay the points with the Crimson Tide!
South Carolina has been arguably the hottest team in the nation down the stretch. They have won 6-games in a row, including wins over #10 Texas A&M, #24 Vanderbilt, #23 Missouri, and #12 Clemson. Their only 3 losses on the season came to teams ranked inside the top 16.
The finished the regular season ranked 57th in rushing with 188.9 yards per game on the ground. Overall, it has been their defense that has led the way. They finished the season allowing an average of just 17.83ppg which was 27th in the country.
Illinois had a better-than-expected season, but losses to Oregon and Minnesota in the middle of the year cost them their chances at playing for a shot at the conference title. They did finish things up with 3 straight wins. However, those wins came over teams with a combined 16-20 record.
The Illini were able to sustain drives throughout the season by converting on 3rd downs. They finished the regular season ranked 42nd with a 43.8% 3rd down conversion rate. Luke Altmyer was a steady leader all year under center for the Illini. He finished with a QBR of almost 145.
We like the Gamecocks to continue their strong play and get this victory over the Illini. However, we believe the number is too large for the Gamecocks to cover. LaNorris Sellers is a stud but asking him to cover double digits is a tall order.
Illini has been covering a large majority of their games as underdogs, which should be the case once again here. We like Altmyer to keep this one close enough late to get us the cover.
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