Alabama to Face Big-Name Opponent In NYE Bowl Game After Missing Out on CFP

After missing out on the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide will have a rematch of last year's national semifinal with the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach DeBoer is upset with officials after a Tide player was called for a personal foul against Auburn. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff committee decided to leave Alabama out of their inaugural 12-team field in favor of SMU. The No. 11 ranked Crimson Tide finished their regular season 9-3, while SMU (11-2) lost the ACC championship game to Clemson on a last-second field goal Saturday.

Since Clemson received an automatic bid with the win, the committee had to decide between Alabama and SMU. The committee gave the last at-large spot to SMU, which CFP chairman Warde Manuel said was the result of "quite a debate."

On the outside looking in, Alabama will spend their New Year's Eve at the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. where they will play last year's national champion, the Michigan Wolverines.

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 🌴🏟️#RollTide pic.twitter.com/Vhh0II04UT

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 8, 2024

Alabama and Michigan played during the first round of last year's four-team College Football Playoff in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines came out on top 27-20 in overtime and went on to beat Washington to win the national title at an undefeated 15-0.

This year's Michigan squad had a disappointing year overall but are coming off an upset of archrival Ohio State 13-10 on Nov. 30. The Buckeyes finished 10-2 and earned an at-large bid into the CFP field as the No. 8 seed.

The Michigan-Alabama battle will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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