SEC champion and defending national champion Alabama is a slight betting favorite over Georgia, the team ranked No. 1 for much of the 2021 season, to win the College Football Playoff. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, however, is not picking either SEC team to win it all.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” this week, Orlovsky explained why he’s picking Michigan to win the national title.

“I’m taking Michigan to win the whole thing,” Orlovsky said. “I’m doing it because of this: I called two Michigan games this season. I called Michigan in the first game of the season. They played Western Michigan, and I just remember walking out of that game going, ‘that was a different Michigan feel than it had the past years before.’ Jim Harbaugh infused so much young talent into that program. They have an unmistaken identity, and then their season kept getting better and better. I called their game against Penn State when I thought they played fantastic.

“I think that at the line of scrimmage, they can match up against Georgia very well. Hassan Haskins, who is their starting tailback, is like tackling Aaron Donald. He’s 6-foot-2, 230 pounds. Blake Corum, their change-up back, is awesome. I think Cade McNamara, their quarterback, is significantly better than people give him credit for. I think Michigan, because, I trust on both sides of the ball who they are on a consistent basis, week in, week out, I think Michigan wins the whole thing.”

Michigan, ranked No. 2 in the final CFP rankings, has to first take care of business against No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31. The Bulldogs are betting favorites despite UM’s higher ranking.