It was an abnormal Championship Saturday for the Michigan football team, which found itself sitting at home watching the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time in four years. The Wolverines failed to qualify for the conference title game after finishing the 2024 season with a 5-4 record in the Big Ten.

But at the tail end of what was a disappointing season, the Wolverines pulled off a shocking 13-10 upset over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. The win saved Michigan from posting a losing record in conference, and it marked the Wolverines' fourth straight victory over their arch-rivals from Ohio.

Now that Championship Saturday is complete, the College Football Playoff field has been released. Michigan missed out on the Playoff, but with the 12-team release comes the reveal of the other bowl game matchups.

Michigan (7-5) will officially play in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida. This year's ReliaQuest Bowl is scheduled to kick off at Noon ET on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

The Wolverines will be facing a familiar SEC foe, as Alabama has been picked for the game with a 9-3 record.

U-M defeated the Tide in an overtime thriller at the Rose Bowl in the Semi-finals of the College Football Playoffs.

Formerly the Outback Bowl, Michigan last played in this bowl game on Jan. 1, 2018, against South Carolina.

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