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Michigan bowl projections roundup: How Oklahoma affected postseason outlook

Anthony Broomeby: Anthony Broome22 hours agoanthonytbroome
Bryce Underwood
Michigan Wolverines football quarterback Bryce Underwood completed 21 of his 31 passes in his season opener against New Mexico. (Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

The Michigan Wolverines moved to 1-1 over the weekend after at loss at Oklahoma. They are not out of the College Football Playoff picture by any means, but nobody is picking them to head that direction like they would have with a victory.

Bowl prognosticators from across the country have weighed in with the Week 2 slate now in the books. Here are some of their projections.

On3’s Brett McMurphy: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl vs. Texas A&M (Dec. 31)

Our colleague’s projection has a Texas A&M showdown, which was a popular Michigan bowl matchup possibility in these roundups last year, but it never came to pass. U-M holds a 2-1 all-time advantage in the series with wins in 1970 and 1979, respectively. A&M won the most recent matchup, a 22-20 victory in the 1995 Alamo Bowl. The Wolverines were last in Orlando for the 2020 Citrus Bowl, a 35-16 loss to Alabama.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Music City Bowl vs. Auburn (Dec. 30)

One-half of the ESPN bowl projection contingent has the Wolverines heading to Nashville. Michigan and Auburn have split the all-time series at a game apiece, with a Tigers win in the 1983 Sugar Bowl and a Wolverine win in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Las Vegas Bowl vs. California (Dec. 31)

The other ESPN prognosticator has Michigan in Las Vegas taking on the Cal Golden Bears. U-M is 6-2 all-time against Cal with its last matchup coming in Ann Arbor in 1980. There would be plenty of buzz for a Bryce Underwood vs. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele matchup as two five-star freshmen quarterbacks.

CBS Sports: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl vs. Auburn (Dec. 31)

The second Citrus Bowl projection brings about the second different SEC opponent, but another pick for Michigan vs. Auburn.

Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. South Carolina (Dec. 31)

This week’s Athlon Sports projection comes with a return to Tampa Bay for the ReliaQuest Bowl, this time against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The two programs last met in the 2017 Outback Bowl, the former name of the game in Tampa.

College Football News: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl vs. Alabama (Dec. 31)

If this projection came to pass, it would add another layer to the last few years of the Michigan vs. Alabama series. U-M has won the last two games, both in the Rose Bowl and ReliaQuest Bowl, which came on Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, respectively.