Reference is to the University of Michigan Wolverines, a historically great program that has suffered through down years, including not winning the Big Ten title for nearly two decades. They won it this year, and, now, the Wolverines are in the CFP matched up against a formidable foe, the Georgia Bulldogs.
Having played one another twice, this year’s game is a tiebreaker. The Wolverines won the first meeting, 26-0, in 1957, and Georgia won the second, 17-7, in 1965.
But this year’s game is more than who’ll take the series lead. The winner will play for college football’s national championship. And if the Wolverines play and win, it will be the twelfth time UM has hoisted the trophy. For Georgia, it would be the Dawg’s seventh title.
The second-ranked Wolverines are led by running back Hassan Haskins (1288 yards rushing, 20 TDs), quarterback Cade McNamara (2,470 yards passing, 15 TDs, 4 INTs), linebacker Josh Ross (95 total tackles/50 solo tackles), and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (58 tackles, 14 sacks–2nd in the nation).
Haskins 1288 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns are second in the B1G Ten Conference and top ten in the nation. He carried the Wolverines past nemesis Ohio State with a 169-yard record-setting five-touchdown performance. Haskins followed it up with two touchdowns versus the Iowa Hawkeyes in Lucas Oil Stadium, a place Big Blue will have to conquer Dawg Nation to revisit.
It should be quite a game–Thursday, December 31st @ 7:30p Eastern time in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Haskins, McNamara, et al. will face a Georgia team that has allowed only 81 yards rushing per game, 172 yards passing per game, and given up (on average) 9.5 points per game in 13 contests.
https://youtu.be/IBV8ZKDSRQE
