Reality hit this Alabama football team like a truck last week as they lost to a 7-5 team after thinking that they should’ve made the College Football Playoff. A lot of SEC fans were saying that teams like Alabama or South Carolina should’ve been in over teams like Indiana and SMU, but then both of those teams lost in their bowl game.

The thing about Alabama’s loss is that this Michigan team that already wasn’t great had a lot of their best players sitting out. There was a reason why the Crimson Tide were favored by three scores, and they still couldn’t get it done.

Michigan won this game behind an incredibly strong defensive first quarter. The Wolverines turned Alabama over deep in their own territory three times in a span of four plays, and in the blink of an eye, Michigan led 16-0. Once the Crimson Tide cleaned things up in the turnover department, Michigan’s sluggish offense struggled to move the ball, but so did Alabama.

The second quarter was much better for the Crimson Tide as they were able to get 10 points on the board and get it to a six-point game going into halftime. That felt like a major win after the way the first quarter went, but the Michigan defense was absolutely smothering in the second half.

Alabama did a good of keeping Michigan from scoring, but they weren’t able to get anything going offensively in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter, and then the Wolverines kicked a huge field goal to make it a two-score game with a little over seven minutes remaining in the contest.

The Crimson Tide had a response after the field goal as they kicked a field goal of their own to make a one-score game again with about four and a half minutes remaining. Alabama was able to get the ball back after that as well, but they weren’t able to cash in and the Wolverines got a stop on downs. Michigan won the game 19-13.

Without the turnovers in the first quarter, Michigan would have had a tough time scoring in this one. Those turnovers definitely cost the Crimson Tide the game.