Alabama football will face a familiar opponent on Dec. 31, when it travels to Tampa to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Crimson Tide will play Michigan in a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff’s Rose Bowl semifinal.

Both teams will face a long layoff before the trip to Tampa. As the Tide and Wolverines begin preparations and figure out what portion of their regular rosters will be available for the game, here’s what to know about UM.

The coach

It’ll be a new face in charge for Michigan since the last time the Wolverines faced Alabama. Back last season, Jim Harbaugh was running the show, before he jumped ship during the offseason to take over the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

Sherrone Moore was the offensive coordinator for last season’s Wolverines. He took over the head coach duties for two games last year, while Harbaugh was suspended due to recruiting violations and a sign-stealing scandal.

Moore has been at Michigan since the 2018 season. He began as tight ends coach in 2018, before assuming co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach duties in 2021.

Before joining Michigan, his coaching stops included stints at Central Michigan and Louisville. He played his own college football as an offensive guard at Oklahoma.

The Wolverines won both games Moore coached last season. He was promoted to the full-time job in January, following Harbaugh’s departure.

The season

The 2024 season has featured a bit of a national championship hangover for the Wolverines. The title roster was decimated by the NFL Draft, and UM finished the regular season 7-5, 5-4 in Big Ten play.

The year started out with a win over Fresno State, before Texas traveled to Ann Arbor and beat Michigan 31-12 in Week 2. The Wolverines recovered and scored wins over Arkansas State, Southern Cal and Minnesota.

Michigan lost road games at Washington and Illinois before beating Michigan State, then fell in Ann Arbor against No. 1 Oregon, and on the road against Indiana. Those would be Michigan’s final two defeats.

The Wolverines beat Northwestern, then traveled to Ohio State, where it pulled off the upset of the Buckeyes heading into the postseason.

Michigan ranked 14th in the Big Ten in points per game, averaging 22.2 on the season. The Wolverines allowed 20.5 opponent points per game, eighth-best in the league.

The game

It would have been a disappointing year for Michigan, but for one key piece. The Wolverines beat Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were heavily favored, entering as the No. 2 team in the CFP rankings. The game was in Columbus as well, so OSU fans were thrilled at the chance to break a three-year Michigan win streak.

Nothing doing. The Wolverines and Ohio State were tied late in the fourth quarter, when Kalel Mullings broke free and took a 27-yard run into goal range for UM.

Dominic Zvada made a 21-yarder with 45 seconds left. The Buckeyes couldn’t answer on offense, and the streak went to four years.

The Michigan defense came up big in the game, holding OSU to 77 rushing yards, while Buckeye quarterback Will Howard threw two interceptions. Ohio State also missed two field goals.

The Wolverine win kept Ohio State out of Big Ten championship, and pushed the UM into a bowl game with a good deal of momentum.