We are all guilty of recency bias. Our teams are only as good as the last time we saw them. That’s why No. 2 Michigan, in this College Football Playoff semifinal, resembles those side mirrors on your car. You know, the ones that warn, “Objects may be closer than they appear.”
That’s the Wolverines, who enter the Orange Bowl as a 7.5-point underdog, according to Caesars Sportsbook. That just happens to be half a point more than Ohio State was favored against Michigan five weeks ago in Ann Arbor.
We all know what happened there.
Michigan has more than a puncher’s chance. It will ensure this game is decided in the trenches. UM doesn’t know any other way, and No. 3 Georgia must prove it can rebound after the Alabama debacle.
This is set to be the better of the two semifinals. There’s some sizzle to it. Two traditional powers trying to rid themselves of past failures. No. 1 Alabama is a prohibitive favorite against No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl and, well, meh. If chalk holds, we’ll have our second Alabama-Georgia game in slightly over five weeks.
That’s looking ahead. For now, we have a game that has only been played twice before in history, the last time back in 1965. Georgia is trying to find itself defensively. Who would have thought those words would ever be written after the Bulldogs’ start to the season? Michigan is on a roll, playing its best in Jim Harbaugh’s seven seasons.
Michigan has the most wins in history (976). Georgia is looking for its first national championship in more than four decades. To get there, the Dawgs must go through the suddenly formidable Wolverines.
Even a month ago, this matchup didn’t look as daunting for Georgia. Then the Dawgs face planted against the Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, Michigan hung 40 on…
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