Brady Hoke is 1-and-0 against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but on Saturday night in Dallas he will encounter what may be his biggest test to date as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. That test comes in the form of Nick Saban and the defending BCS champion Alabama Crimson Tide. The Wolverines will enter the game ranked No. 8 in the AP poll, and there's not many better ways to gauge how a team stacks up with the nation's elite than by taking on the title holders.
Michigan, though, will be shorthanded. Hoke announced on Friday that RB Fitzgerald Toussaint and DE Frank Clark will not travel with the team after both were arrested over the summer. Clark was a mere rotation player along the defensive line, but Toussaint was Michigan's second leading rusher in 2011, having racked up 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Game time, TV channel: 7 p.m. ET, ABC
Point spread: Alabama favored by 13.5
For news, discussion and more: For more on Wolverines football, visit Michigan blog Maize 'n' Brew, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire and SB Nation Detroit. For more on Tide football, visit Alabama blog Roll Bama Roll, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.
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