Alabama's Bowl Game Fate Revealed After Missing Out on College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nicholas Simon | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 1:02 PM ET

Just hours after being left out of the College Football Playoff field, the Alabama Crimson Tide found out where it will be heading for bowl season.

Alabama will face Michigan in the Reliaquest Bowl, set to be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on December 31. This New Year's Eve showdown will kick off at noon ET and will air on ESPN. This, of course, will be a rematch of last year's epic College Football Playoff semifinal, where the Wolverines defeated the Crimson Tide in a 27-20 overtime thriller at the Rose Bowl.

Coming off a 9-3 regular season under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, arguments raged over whether or not the Tide would be included into the expanded 12-team CFP field. Heading into Sunday, the debate for the final spot came down to Alabama and SMU, who fell to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game the night prior. The committee ultimately chose the Mustangs, leaving Bama out of the playoff field for the first time since 2019.

The first year of the post-Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa had a mixture of highs and lows as the Crimson Tide experienced their first three-loss season since 2010. A big victory over eventual SEC Champion Georgia was immediately followed up by a shocking loss at Vanderbilt in Nashville the following week.

A one-touchdown loss to Tennessee preceded a three-game win streak before an ugly 24-3 road loss to Oklahoma put their CFP hopes in major jeopardy. DeBoer and company was able to end the year on a high with a victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl, but that wasn't enough to propel them into the big dance.

As for Michigan, the defending national champions have experienced its share of ups and downs under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore. Poor quarterback play and injuries hindered their chances at competing for the Big Ten title, but the Wolverines did salvage their season by stunning rival Ohio State to close the slate. Just like Alabama, Moore and company will try to generate some momentum heading into the offseason.

This will be Alabama's fourth trip to Tampa for the postseason in program history. Its most recent trip came in 2017, where it fell to Deshaun Watson's Clemson team in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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