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Michigan's Rose Bowl win over Alabama ranked criminally low by The Athletic

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated May 23, 2025 11:56 AM ET

Although defeating Ohio State for the third consecutive time was great, it wasn't Michigan's best game of the 2023 season. And while defeating Washington in the 2024 National Championship game was incredible, it still wasn't Michigan's best game of the 2023 season.

Ask any Michigan fan about that magical 2023 season and the discussion will inevitably lead to a game that was one of the greatest in college football history: Michigan vs. Alabama in the 2024 Rose Bowl.

With two blue blood programs clashing in the Rose Bowl for a trip to the Natty, along with two iconic head coaches in Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban leading the way, that game had all of the necessary ingredients for magic... and it delivered. There was drama, mistakes, incredible plays, and overtime for a shot at a national championship. What more could you want?

The matchup would ultimately be settled in overtime, with the Wolverines securing an incredible 27-20 victory over the Crimson Tide.

Although many Michigan fans would agree that game was arguably the greatest in Michigan football history, how does the outside world view it? According to a recent article from The Athletic, the epic Rose Bowl showdown between Michigan and Alabama comes in at No. 25 in the greatest games of the last 25 years.

Vince Young delivered a national title to Texas with one of the greatest individual performances in the history of college football.

The win over USC is No. 1 in our ranking of the 25 best games of the past 25 years. pic.twitter.com/L7FgCvu07n
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 22, 2025

Here's what The Athletic had to say about that incredible matchup:

In Nick Saban’s final game — though we didn’t know it at the time — Jim Harbaugh and Michigan broke through to reach the national title game with a thrilling victory in overtime. Alabama led late, but Michigan marched 75 yards to tie the score with 94 seconds left, highlighted by a fourth-down pass from J.J. McCarthy to Blake Corum. Michigan scored in two plays — both Corum runs — in its overtime possession. Alabama then overcame some snapping issues and advanced the ball to the 3-yard line on a Jalen Milroe to Jermaine Burton pass. But on fourth down, the Michigan defensive front stuffed Milroe to seal the win.

There's no doubt that Michigan fans view that game with plenty of bias, but putting the 2024 Rose Bowl at No. 25 on the list feels incredibly low... almost criminally low. Adding insult to injury, The Athletic placed App State's 2007 win over Michigan at No. 24 on the list.

You can check out The Athletic's full list of the Top 25 games of the last 25 years HERE.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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