Non-playoff bowl games have become the green garnish on college football’s postseason plate. Fans grab them, maybe take a quick peek and cast them aside for meatier fare.

That would have been the case for the Michigan Wolverines, had it drawn, say, Wake Forest or Memphis for a bowl game. Such wasn’t as true when Alabama’s Crimson Tide came rolling in. Everybody noticed — but such a development ushers in its own set of problems.

Michigan fan reaction to facing Alabama in the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1 in Orlando? Those adorned in maize and blue reacted one of two ways:

Hide Your Eyes — This one comes from the segment of Wolverine watchers still shell-shocked by Ohio State running roughshod over Michigan for the second straight year. Add in the fact that Alabama would be battling for yet another national championship had quarterback Tua Tagovailoa not exited via injury late in the season, and it’s more daunting.

Bama can still hammer, overrun with more NFL prospects than the bottom 10 teams of the Big Ten combined. For these folks, a second straight season of double blowouts to conclude a campaign looms.