New bowl prediction pits Michigan football against familiar playoff rival

Michigan football has won the Big Ten championship and made the College Football Playoff two years in a row. Still, Wolverine fans are left wanting more after losing the semifinal game in both years. According to 247 Sports, Michigan football may get a chance to seek revenge on a familiar playoff opponent. A new bowl prediction pits Michigan football against the Georgia Bulldogs in this year’s Sugar Bowl semifinal game.

New bowl prediction pits Michigan football against Georgia in the semifinal

Wolverine fans have a bone to pick with Georgia football. In 2021, Jim Harbaugh exceeded expectations and took a preseason unranked Michigan team all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Once there, the Wolverines hit a brick wall, falling to Georgia 34-11.

While the Bulldogs celebrated their victory, a few Michigan football players stayed on the field to watch. Among the players were quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Donovan Edwards. It was clear that these young Wolverines were ready to do whatever it took to get back to the big stage for a rematch.

While they did make it to the playoff again in 2022, the Wolverines were matched up against TCU instead of Georgia. Had Michigan football won, McCarthy and Edwards would have had an opportunity to play Georgia for the national championship, but the Wolverines once again fell in the semifinal game.

Despite the Wolverines’ playoff woes, a new bowl prediction shows Michigan getting another chance to finally beat Georgia. 247 Sports recently put out College Football Bowl Predictions for 2023: Summer Edition, which includes a Michigan versus Georgia matchup in the Sugar Bowl which will act as one of this year’s semifinals.

Ohio State could face the Wolverines in the national championship

247 also predicted that Ohio State would face Texas in the Rose Bowl, which will act as the second semifinal game. This matchup could send Ohio State to the national championship alongside Michigan.

Michigan has never played Ohio State twice in one season. Having a rematch of “The Game” under the spotlight of the national championship would be one of the biggest rivalry matchups in college football history.

Rumors swirled last year about the possibility of Michigan football playing Ohio State twice in a season. With Big Ten divisions likely breaking up in 2024, it’s entirely possible that in the future, the Wolverines could play the Buckeyes up to three times in a season: once in the regular season, once in the championship, and once in the playoff.