There was a lot of talk about how Indiana should have never been in the College Football Playoff after their loss to Notre Dame in the first round. One of the teams they heard the most from was The Alabama Crimson Tide, who just missed the playoff after SMU was selected as the 11-seed instead of Alabama.
Everyone in the country thought that Alabama would have been able to put up a better fight against Notre Dame than Indiana did, but the Crimson Tide's performance in the Reliaquest Bowl against Michigan does not back that claim up.
After what we saw today we can put it to bed: Indiana fully deserved to be in the College Football Playoff. #iufb
— Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants) December 31, 2024
Alabama faced the Michigan Wolverines in the Reliaquest Bowl, a game the Crimson Tide probably overlooked their opponent, and it came back to bite them in the end. Alabama had a lot of their playmakers, other than star running back Justice Haynes, on the offense, but it just wasn't enough, as the Crimson Tide was only able to put 13 points on the board against the Michigan defense.
The Wolverines walked away with the 19-13 win over Alabama, a team that thought they would have been able to beat Notre Dame.
Who knows if Alabama would have been more motivated had they been playing in the College Football Playoff, but if a team is going to play in a bowl game, that should be all the motivation they need.
The Alabama offense looked worse against Michigan than Indiana's did against Notre Dame. It should also be known that Indiana was able to beat Michigan during the regular season as they walked away with a 20-15 win over the Wolverines.
So the next time Alabama or anyone tries to make a claim that Indiana shouldn't made it and the Crimson Tide should have, just tell them, "19-13, Michigan beats Alabama."