Expert predictions for the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal
Top-ranked Michigan and No. 4 Alabama are all set to face off in the Rose Bowl, serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup this season. Both teams have proven to be among the best in the nation, and the predictions corroborate that.
Experts from across the nation have tried their hand at guessing the outcome of this game, but it has seemingly been a difficult task.
The winner moves on to the national championship to face the winner of the Sugar Bowl between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas.
Before looking ahead, though, the Rose Bowl must come first. A battle between an undefeated Big Ten champion and a one-loss SEC champion has analysts stumped.
Here are the current projections for the Rose Bowl from writers, reports, analysts and experts.
Chris Peterson: FanSided
Alabama 24, Michigan 20
Chris Peterson of Fansided’s GBMWolverine has Alabama winning by only four points, so he expects it to be a close one. A common theme here will be that regardless of who wins, it will be tight.
Bryan Fischer: Fox Sports
The Pick: Alabama
While Fischer, of Fox Sports, omits an actual score prediction, he makes it clear that Alabama is the team that will be victorious after a full four quarters.
Adam Rittenberg: ESPN
Alabama 31, Michigan 23
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN has the Crimson Tide winning by a touchdown and a two-point conversion. He mentions “the disparity among the two teams in the postseason is too much to ignore.”
Brett Gibbons: Sports Illustrated
Michigan 24, Alabama 17
Gibbons, of Sports Illustrated‘s Killer Frogs, has the Wolverines winning by a touchdown, which is certainly a possibility. In the reasoning, Gibbons mentions that both defenses are strong, but that Michigan’s offense has the upper hand.
Staff: Detroit Free Press
Tony Garcia: Michigan 26, Alabama 23
Carlos Monarrez: Alabama 27, Michigan 24
Rainer Sabin: Michigan 24, Alabama 23
Jeff Seidel: Michigan 28, Alabama 24
Shawn Windsor: Alabama 27, Michigan 23
The staff at the Detroit Free Press are nearly split down the middle on their Rose Bowl picks, with three of five predictions leaning toward Michigan. However, it’s worth noting that all predictions have it within either three or four points.
Blake Toppmeyer: The Tennesseean
The Pick: Alabama
Toppmeyer, of the Tennesseean, doesn’t include a score prediction, but picks the Crimson Tide to win the Rose Bowl. He mentions that Alabama, in an odd turn of events, enters this game as “the good guy,” considering that Michigan has been making headlines all season long for all the wrong reasons.
