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Mailbag: Alabama fans ask about Michigan QB McCarthy, validity of UA’s CFP berth, and more | Goodbread

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Mailbag: Alabama fans ask about Michigan QB McCarthy, validity of UA’s CFP berth, and more | Goodbread


Alabama-Michigan week is here, and questions about the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup in the Rose Bowl abound. What can Alabama expect from Michigan’s quarterback and offensive line? Can the Wolverines’ pass rush get to Alabama QB Jalen Milroe? And does Alabama really belong here in the first place?

Readers of The Tuscaloosa News have chimed in with these queries and more, and with Crimson Tide coaches and players all but certain to be tight-lipped in media interviews this week, we’re here to deliver the answers. It’s mailbag time, CFP-style!

Monte from Brooklyn writes: How good is JJ McCarthy?

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Hey Monte: After watching each of Michigan’s games this season, I’m impressed with the Wolverines’ quarterback. He’s athletic (and should be fully recovered from a late-season ankle injury), he throws with good anticipation and he’s extremely accurate throwing on the run. I’m not convinced his receivers can consistently get open against Alabama’s defense, however. He’s capable of improvisation, but he might have to do more of it than he wants.

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Chase from Trophy Club, Texas, writes: Michigan fans appear to believe their O-line can bully our D-line and allow their backs to run all over us. Do you believe our D-line can hold up and stop the run, or do you anticipate stunts and blitzes to sell out to stop the run? Also, do you think it was a difficult decision for Milroe to decide to come back? How much do you think he considered entering the draft?

Hey Chase: Great name, first of all. Michigan’s OL is outstanding, although they’ve lost perhaps their best player up front in guard Zak Zinter, who broke his leg against Ohio State. I watched his replacement in the Big Ten title game closely, (Trente Jones, who played right tackle, not guard) to see if Zinter’s injury created a vulnerability. However, Jones played exceptionally well against Iowa. Alabama’s run defense is solid, but it will have its hands full with UM. As for Milroe, my understanding is that the 2024 NFL draft was never much of a consideration for him, as he recognizes room for continued improvement with another year in college.

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Travis from San Bruno, Calif., writes: It seems like Michigan is deep on the defensive line, but it does not appear they have the dominant edge rusher they have had in the past.  Is that something you have noticed watching film, and how do you expect the Bama O-line to hold up in pass protection in the Rose Bowl?

Hey Travis: Michigan’s top pass rusher is Jaylen Harrell, who is solid if not spectacular. He leads the team with 7.5 sacks, but the Wolverines get a pretty good push from the interior as well. Alabama’s pass protection has steadily improved all season, to the point where pressure on Milroe, lately, is more often the result of his own hesitation than pass protection.

Terry from Birmingham writes: What do you think of Alabama getting into the CFP over an undefeated Florida State?

Hey Terry: Put it this way – I’m predicting Alabama to beat Michigan by more than a touchdown, and if the matchup was Michigan-FSU, I’d predict UM by more than a touchdown. People have a bad tendency to talk about the Power Five like the Equal Five, when they’re not at all equal. If they were, there wouldn’t have been 50 schools separating Alabama’s strength of schedule ranking from Florida State’s.

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Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin’ Tide podcast. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.



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Michigan

2025 cornerback from Georgia gets Michigan State football offer

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2025 cornerback from Georgia gets Michigan State football offer


Michigan State football has found a new prospect in the 2025 recruiting class to extend an offer to. Notably, so late in the cycle, any new offer holds major significance.

Chaney was once committed to Georgia State, but has backed off of that commitment. After a solid fall, he has received offers from Eastern Michigan, Oregon State and USF, along with MSU to go along with his initial crop of offers.

A 6’1″, 185 pound cornerback, be on the lookout for Michigan State to potentially make a move here if things do not work out with a couple of other prospects.



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UM report forecasts moderate economic growth in Michigan, nation in 2025-26

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UM report forecasts moderate economic growth in Michigan, nation in 2025-26


As the Federal Reserve continues to cut interest rates amid a cooling job market, the economy is poised for moderate growth in Michigan and nationally over the next two years, according to University of Michigan economists.

The national economy is projected to grow 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024 with the unemployment rate averaging 4.2%, while growth may ease slightly in the near future due to a slowing labor market, the UM economists said in a U.S. Economic Outlook for 2025–2026.

Meanwhile, Michigan’s economy has slowed since spring, with heightened uncertainty due to the recent elections, the economists wrote in a Michigan Economic Outlook for 2025–2026. Both reports were written by Jacob T. Burton, Gabriel M. Ehrlich, Kyle W. Henson, Daniil Manaenkov, Niaoniao You and Yinuo Zhang.

“The U.S. economy has gone through times of great uncertainty before and emerged intact,” the economists wrote. “We are projecting that both Michigan and the nation will follow that path over the next two years.”

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Job growth in Michigan is expected to decline in the second half of the year, but grow moderately in 2025 and 2026.

“We believe the election results have amplified the uncertainty surrounding Michigan’s economic outlook,” the economists wrote. “We project a small dip in Michigan’s job count in the back half of 2024 to give way to moderate job gains in 2025 and 2026, but the outlook depends critically on uncertain policy decisions and the subsequent market responses.”

The economists expect job growth in the state to be strongest in health care, leisure and hospitality and government, while sectors including manufacturing and professional services are expected to remain stable.

“We are projecting the state economy to return to growth over the next two years as easier monetary policy and another round of tax cuts boost medium-term growth,” the economists wrote. “Michigan adds 19,000 payroll jobs next year and an additional 26,700 in 2026. The unemployment rate in Michigan is projected to fall from 4.6% in late 2024 to 4.3% by the end of 2026.”

The Detroit, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor metro areas showed a downward trend in job growth, with Detroit and Grand Rapids seeing 0.1% growth during the past year. Ann Arbor saw relatively stronger job growth of 1.3% as of September, according to the report. Metro-level data for October was not available for the report, officials said.

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The report attributes the underlying cause of the slowdown in Michigan’s job market as the Federal Reserve’s policy of monetary tightening to control inflation.

“Although the Fed has recently pivoted toward reducing short-term interest rates, we believe that real interest rates remain at a restrictive level and that the effects of the Fed’s past tight monetary policy continue to impact Michigan’s economy,” the economists wrote. “Indeed, in many ways, the national rebalancing in the labor market is precisely what the Fed hoped to engineer with its policy actions. Unfortunately for Michigan, our relatively rate-sensitive industry mix means that higher interest rates have taken a larger economic toll than nationally.”

The Michigan outlook points to stronger personal income growth, with per capita income increasing to $64,000 in 2024 and reaching around $68,500 by 2026, up 41% from 2019.

Inflation is expected to slow to 3.3% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025 before increasing to 2.7% in 2026 due to new tariffs that the incoming Trump administration is expected to impose.

The U.S. and Michigan economic outlook reports follow the presidential election, which economists say will result in significant changes in U.S. economic policies. In the reports, the economists shared their thoughts on about the impacts of a second Trump administration.

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The recent election of Donald Trump as well as the Republican majorities in the U.S. Senate and House will likely to result in a continuation of tax cuts Trump enacted during his first term, the economists said. Also expected is a sharp rise in tariffs on imports from China to take effect by 2026. 

While rising tariffs on Chinese imports and tax cuts for corporations and individuals are expected in upcoming years, revenue increases from tariffs are unlikely to offset revenue losses generated by tax cuts, according to the report. This could result in slower revenue growth and a sharp increase in federal deficits.

“As the stimulative effects of the expected tax cuts dominate the drag from the anticipated new tariffs, we project quarterly GDP growth to accelerate modestly during 2026, reaching a 2.5 percent annualized pace by 2026 Q4,” the economists wrote.

The report notes that the Federal Reserve has started cutting interest rates after keeping them at a 23-year high of 5.25% to 5.5% for 14 months. The rate was reduced by 50 basis points in September and 25 basis points in November, bringing it to 4.5% to 4.75%.

Additional cuts will depend on economic data, with the economists expecting another 25 basis point cut in December.

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Looking ahead at next year, the economists say they expect the Fed to make four more 25-basis-point cuts in 2025 and reach a range of 3.25–3.5% by the end of the year.

“In our view, the temporary uptick of inflation related to tariffs will not prompt the Fed to tighten policy in 2026,” economists wrote. “We believe that risk management concerns related to the potential negative growth effects of tariffs, which played a role in the 2019 rate cuts, will balance the upside risks from new tax cuts, prompting the Fed to stand pat.”

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

@CWilliams_DN



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Bullock scores 20 as South Dakota knocks off Western Michigan 80-76

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Bullock scores 20 as South Dakota knocks off Western Michigan 80-76


Associated Press

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Quandre Bullock scored 20 points off of the bench to lead South Dakota past Western Michigan 80-76 on Wednesday night.

Bullock also contributed three steals for the Coyotes (5-1). Paul Bruns scored 18 points, shooting 6 for 13 (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Cameron Fens had 16 points and shot 7 of 9 from the field and 2 for 4 from the foul line.

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The Broncos (2-4) were led by Markhi Strickland, who posted 20 points and six rebounds. Western Michigan also got 13 points and six rebounds from Owen Lobsinger. Javaughn Hannah also recorded 12 points.

Bullock scored 12 points in the first half and South Dakota went into the break trailing 34-33. Bruns’ 18-point second half helped South Dakota close out the four-point victory.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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