Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:03 But of course, we start with the first of the two,
00:06 college football playoff semifinals on New Year's Day.
00:10 There is something beautiful about the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, and
00:14 it even adds to its significance when it decides a spot in the national championship.
00:20 It's number one Michigan, it's number four Alabama, two of the strongest brands and
00:25 the most premier programs in the history of this sport.
00:28 Face off on January 1st in Pasadena under the rolling hills of
00:33 the San Gabriel Mountains.
00:35 Michigan remains a one and a half point favorite, minus 130 on that money line.
00:39 Incremental movement, a couple of cents really, Donnie,
00:42 from where the line opened up on that opening Sunday of December,
00:46 known as Selection Sunday, to where we are now.
00:49 The only real movement we saw, 45 and a half, was the opening over under.
00:53 Now that total stands at 44 and a hook.
00:56 It's gonna be great to watch this game play out because the philosophy is on
00:59 either side, right?
01:00 Alabama with an unbelievably talented athletic quarterback that gets out of
01:04 the pocket, guys that can make plays for him on the outside, versus Michigan that
01:08 goes, you know what, we got beef eaters on that front line.
01:11 We're gonna use double tight end sets, we're gonna use Blake Corman's been
01:13 absolutely on fire in scores every single week to slow this tempo down and
01:18 force you into mistakes.
01:19 I love this.
01:20 It's one of those where you take a look at the second game,
01:21 which we'll get to in a second, where it's like, okay,
01:23 this is gonna be more of the up-tempo, fun, and finesse game.
01:27 Nothing finesse about this game between Michigan and Alabama.
01:31 And I think Michigan, when they're gonna come out, Ben, hey,
01:33 we're gonna surprise Alabama.
01:34 Five wide shot on every play.
01:36 No, you're not.
01:37 Your goal is to have J.J.
01:38 McCarthy throw under 25 passes in this game, and
01:41 that's gonna signal you'll be in this game to win it, which I'm interested to watch.
01:45 But also, some of these games for Alabama where they get damaged on defense on
01:48 the running game has been a lot of a running quarterback.
01:51 You don't have that with Michigan.
01:53 But I think Michigan is battle-tested enough to get in the trenches and
01:57 make this game ugly.
01:58 And this is hard for me because when you're talking about the line of this
02:00 football game, when it opened up pretty much at one and
02:02 a half as a favorite towards Michigan, I said that day,
02:05 I believe this line is gonna close in Alabama favorite.
02:08 Now, we haven't seen that public money come in, and granted,
02:11 as you get over this holiday weekend and right into game day, where people are like,
02:14 that's right, the college football playoffs on today.
02:17 I still think there's a legitimate chance that Alabama overtakes Michigan here as
02:21 the favorite in that game, but I find myself,
02:24 I know I'm gonna have a good game at a Blake Corham.
02:26 Blake Corham's gonna get 20 plus touches in this game,
02:28 which I do think he goes over his rushing prop.
02:31 Does he score a touchdown?
02:32 He scores every game, but
02:33 you're not getting a discount here at the Fanville Sportsbook, Ben.
02:35 That's a minus 200 price, but I find myself just getting back into the early days
02:40 of when I loved football, rooting for the team that was the ground and
02:43 pound against Alabama.
02:44 I'm having a real dilemma right now of who I'm going to take on New Year's Day, Ben.
02:50 >> Donnie, you say you're not getting a discount on Michigan and
02:53 that Blake Corham price to find the end zone.
02:55 If the Wolverines score, and I expect them to score at least once in this football
02:59 game, if they do, Blake Corham is going to be the one to bring that football over
03:04 the pylon and into Paytert.
03:06 He has scored 24 rushing touchdowns this year.
03:08 He has scored multiple rushing scores in five consecutive games for
03:12 the Maize and Blue.
03:13 Throughout the regular season against competition that is not necessarily
03:17 Alabama, his price to find the end zone is at bare minimum minus 800,
03:22 minus 200 then is not a bad price.
03:25 The quarterback comparison in this game is going to be fascinating.
03:28 How much does Michigan lean on JJ McCarthy?
03:32 Because despite Alabama being a much better passing defense than that of
03:36 a rushing defense, I think they're going to say, all right, JJ,
03:40 beat us through the air.
03:42 And McCarthy, frankly, has not done that in the final four games of this season.
03:47 He has not thrown for more than 150 yards in the last four games,
03:50 including the Big Ten Championship against Iowa.
03:54 Now, Jalen Milrow has taken on that quarterback position for Alabama.
03:58 But Donnie, I think the reason the total works a little bit lower right now at 44
04:02 and a half is the idea that Michigan has been so
04:04 tremendous defensively throughout this season.
04:07 Best scoring defense in the country, the only defense in the country that has
04:11 allowed less than ten points per game on average, only nine and
04:14 a half given up by the Wolverines.
04:17 But have they seen the athleticism of Alabama,
04:20 mainly at the quarterback position for Jalen Milrow?
04:23 His rushing yards, prop 32 and a half.
04:25 If Michigan can keep, or if Alabama can keep him upright, and
04:29 that's been a struggle this year, I expect Milrow to have a big game.
04:32 I bet Alabama, as the Moneyline underdog, I like the over in this game.
04:37 And I would keep an eye on Roydale Williams, one of the running backs for
04:40 the Crimson Tide, to go over his rushing yards prop of 24 and a half.
04:44 I agree, Donnie, by the way, that Blake Quorum should go over 78 and
04:47 a half because Michigan is still going to rely on running the football,
04:51 despite Alabama maybe stacking the box.
04:54 It's just the way they orchestrate the offense led by JJ McCarthy.
04:59 And Alabama only allowed 184 passing yards per game this year.
05:03 That's a top 15 passing defense in the country.
05:06 They gave up a buck 24 on the ground.
05:09 There are some matchup advantages for the Wolverines to take advantage of.
05:13 [MUSIC]