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The upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl has the Michigan football team in some unchartered waters.
In recent years at this time, the Wolverines were either preparing for College Football Playoff semifinals against Georgia in the Orange Bowl (34-11 Bulldogs), TCU in the Fiesta Bowl (51-45 Horned Frogs) or last year Alabama in the Rose Bowl (27-20 Michigan in OT) and eventually Washington in the national championship (34-13 Wolverines).
This time around, while it is the Crimson Tide again on the other side in a clash of powerhouse brands, nobody is confusing what’s on the line. The Wolverines are 7-5, hoping to avoid the program’s first season with six losses or more since it went 5-7 in Brady Hoke’s final year in 2014.
They’re also looking to extend a streak and make it nine consecutive years of winning eight or more games when the entire season is played (not counting the 2-4 COVID-19 shortened 2020 season). Outside of those arbitrary numbers, there’s simply not much left to achieve for U-M’s team in this 2024 calendar year.
Well, depending on who you ask.
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“It’s going to be the last game of our season this year for everybody that’s in the building right now, but a lot of guys are going to play that maybe might not have had the opportunity to showcase their abilities,” said tight end Marlin Klein on Tuesday. “Obviously it’s going to be a springboard toward spring ball, fall camp and next season, to see who’s going to step up in this game.”
Klein is expected to step into a larger role next season with projected first-round pick Colston Loveland headed to the NFL draft, but just because that’s true for Klein, who caught 12 passes for 101 yards (fourth on the team) this year, doesn’t mean it is for someone like, Aamir Hall.
Ohio State cornerback…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-bowl-game-does-150052790.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-12-19 15:00:00
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