The season may not have gone the way Michigan intended, but the Wolverines finished the regular season on a high note with back-to-back wins over Northwestern and Ohio State.

And now UM has a chance to make it second in a row against Alabama.

The Wolverines and Crimson Tide will play together in this year’s ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida (noon, ESPN), the official end of both teams’ 2024 seasons.

It will serve as a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal in the Rose Bowl, a game Michigan won in overtime to play for (and win) a national title.

This year, both programs suffered varying degrees of disappointment. The Wolverines struggled to a 7-5 season with a disappointing offense, while Alabama (9-3) was the last team eliminated from the expanded 12-team playoff field.

Will both teams be motivated? We still have a few weeks to find out.

In the meantime, here’s a first look at No. 11 Alabama:

Fast facts

Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Enrollment: 40,846

Colors: purple and white

Head Coach: Kalen DeBoer

Record: 9-3, 5-3 SEC (4th)

Last meeting against Michigan: 2024, a 27-20 overtime loss

All-time record against UM: 3-3

How they got here

Alabama was the last team to be left out of the expanded 12-team playoff field this year, despite finishing ranked No. 11 nationally. The Tide was hurt by a struggling SEC and No. 16 Clemson, which received an automatic shot at winning the ACC Championship.

A look at the Tide’s 2024 schedule:

vs. Western Kentucky – W, ​​63-0

vs. South Florida – S, 42-16

at Wisconsin – W, ​​42-10

vs. No. 2 Georgia – W, ​​41-34

at Vanderbilt – L, 40-35

vs. South Carolina – S, 27-25

at No. 11 Tennessee – L, 24-17

vs. No. 21 Missouri – W, ​​34-0

at No. 15 LSU – W, ​​42-13

vs. Mercer – W, ​​52-7

at Oklahoma – L, 24-3

vs. Auburn – W, ​​28-14

Your coach

Kalen DeBoer (9-3; 1st season)

DeBoer is in his first season in Tuscaloosa after taking over for the retiring Nick Saban. He led Washington to a Pac-12 title and a victory over Texas in the Sugar Bowl before losing to Michigan in the national championship.

DeBoer, 50, is in just his fifth season as a coach at the Division I FBS level after two seasons at UW and two seasons at Fresno State. His all-time record, including five seasons at NAIA Sioux Falls, is 113-15.

Your QB, Jalen Milroe

Michigan got a good look at Milroe in the Rose Bowl, but he failed to live up to Heisman Trophy-level expectations this year. While his completion percentage remained consistent (66 percent) and he threw for 2,652 yards, Milroe had 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games for the Tide this year. His two-INT game played a role in the Tide’s seven-point loss to Tennessee, as did his three-INT game in a loss to Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, he remains a serious threat on the ground, as evidenced by his career-high 719 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs this season. Milroe averages 4.7 yards per carry and had a 72-yard run in a 4-TD game against LSU.

How they stack up

Points on offense – Alabama: 35.5 points per game (T-16th in FBS), Michigan: 22.3 points (T-111th)

Total offense – Alabama: 422.8 yards per game (39th), Michigan: 294.3 yards per game (128th)

Rushing offense – Alabama: 182.67 yards per game (41st), Michigan: 160.67 yards per game (69th)

Passing Attack – Alabama: 240.1 yards per game (T-50th), Michigan: 133.6 yards per game (130th)

High-scoring defense – Alabama: 17.3 points per game (10th), Michigan: 20.5 (T-24th)

Total Defense – Alabama: 330.9 yards per game (32nd), Michigan: 310.9 yards per game (14th)

Rushing Defense – Alabama: 139.75 yards per game (52nd), Michigan: 92.58 yards per game (3rd)

Pass Defense – Alabama: 191.2 yards per game (30th), Michigan: 218.3 yards per game (66th)

Other key players

WR Ryan Williams

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound freshman speedster leads the Tide in receiving yards (857) and receiving touchdowns (8), averaging nearly 20 yards per catch in some catches this season was used in his team’s biggest games. Williams, a Mobile, Ala., native, had a six-catch, 177-yard day against Georgia and an eight-catch, 73-yard game against Tennessee. He had four catches for more than 40 yards this season.

WR Germie Bernard

Not far behind Williams is Bernard, a 6-foot-2, 209-pound target with a team-high 46 receptions for 714 yards and two touchdowns. The Las Vegas native has been reliable all season, recording more than 70 yards receiving in games against some of the SEC’s best, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri. Bernard, a junior, has four catches of 30 yards or longer.

LB Jihaad Campbell

Campbell is the biggest ball disruptor on the Tide defense, leading the team in tackles (108), sacks (5) and forced fumbles (2), giving everyone he plays a headache. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker had four games with double-digit tackles this season and even made his only interception of the season against Georgia. The junior is all about the NFL and could be a problem for the Wolverines

DB Domani Jackson

Do you remember this name? The former Michigan recruit is coming off a big season in Alabama’s secondary, with two interceptions, a forced fumble and seven pass breakups alongside Michigan transfer Keon Sabb.

DB Malachi Moore

Moore is another key part of Alabama’s backfield and has 70 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and eight pass breakups. While the Tide is prone to giving up yards through the air, they also have some playmakers there. And Moore is one of them.

Recent history

Michigan defeated Alabama 27-20 in overtime of the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Rose Bowl. The two teams also met in the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world – a game Alabama won 35-16.

The all-time series is tied, 3-3.

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