Michigan
Your A to Z guide for Michigan-Alabama football in the ReliaQuest Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. – It may not be in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, but a New Year’s Eve bowl game still is a battle between the two winningest programs in college football.
Michigan and Alabama head down to central Florida for the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl in a rematch of last season’s Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal.
This is the first non-playoff postseason game for the Wolverines since the 2020 Capital One Bowl, also against the Crimson Tide. Michigan also last played in Florida in the 2021 Orange Bowl, which served as a playoff semifinal.
This year’s bowl can serve as a warm weather destination for Michigan snowbirds. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl, from tickets to weather to travel.
Michigan-Alabama game info
Kickoff: Noon
Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
The teams: Michigan (7-5, beat Ohio State 13-10) versus No. 11 Alabama (9-3, beat Auburn 28-14)
How to watch: ESPN (streaming on Watch ESPN, Fubo, DirecTV and Sling TV)
Michigan-Alabama betting odds: Alabama -10.5 (Michigan a massive underdog in bowl matchup with Alabama)
How to buy tickets
The ReliaQuest Bowl has partnered with Ticketmaster to offer $80 for regular seats and $170 for club seats. There are still several tickets in this price range.
You can also find tickets on the secondary market for around $83 to $91 from Stubhub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek.
Weather forecast
It will most likely be ideal Florida weather with a temperatures of 75 degrees, according to the 10-day Weather Channel forecast. There is also a 15% chance of rain.
Alabama running back Jase McClellan (2) celebrates his touchdown during the Rose Bowl game against Michigan in Pasadena, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Michigan beat Alabama 27-20.Neil Blake | MLive.com
Historic battle
Michigan and Alabama football is as classic as college football gets, from the uniforms to fight songs to the bands.
New Year’s Eve will also serve as a tiebreaker in the series between the programs. The Wolverines and Crimson Tide are tied 3-3 in their previous six games.
The first matchup coincidentally took place in Tampa in 1988 when the game was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl. The Wolverines won 28-24 on a last-minute touchdown pass from Demetrius Brown to John Kolesar.
The Tide won three of the next five, including wins in 1997, 2012 and 2020. The other two Michigan wins both took place in overtime, including the 2000 Orange Bowl (behind the arm of Tom Brady) and last season’s Rose Bowl (behind the legs of Blake Corum).
Big screen viewing for homebound Wolverines
Three Emagine Theater chains in Michigan, including the one in Saline, will show the ESPN broadcast.
Tickets cost $20, and doors open at 11:30 a.m. Emagine Saline, 1335 E. Michigan Ave., has tickets available at Emagine-Entertainment.com.
Seating is limited to theater capacity, Emagine officials said in a Dec. 19 release.
The other two Emagine locations are in Royal Oak at 200 North Main St. and Novi at 44425 West 12 Mile Road.
Read more: Catch Michigan-Alabama on the big screen at this theater south of Ann Arbor
Michigan fans watch the pregame show before the Rose Bowl against Alabama in Pasadena, California on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.Neil Blake | MLive.com
Gameday parking
The parking lots open at 8 a.m. at Raymond James Stadium. All parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Car and motorcycle parking costs $40, while premium parking costs $50. Buses, camper and limousines can park for $160 in Lot 8. There is no overnight parking available on stadium property.
All parking is mobile. A limited number of parking spaces are available to be purchased in advance by clicking here.
Prepaid parking for cars and motorcycles is $35, while prepaid premium parking is $45. Prepaid RV parking is $140.
You can also park north of the stadium at Al Lopez Park and Tampa Jesuit High School. Taxis and rideshares drop off passengers at the pedestrian bridge on Dale Mabry Highway northwest of the stadium’s Ford Gate. Pickup for rideshares is at Steinbrenner Field lots or the mass transit location across from the bridge.
Flights to Tampa
Need a last-second flight to Tampa? Expect some spend some on a plane ticket.
Tickets from Detroit to Tampa for Dec. 30 are as low as $378 on Spirit and $688 on Delta.
Where to tailgate, party in Tampa
You are able to tailgate in your parking spot near the stadium. You must keep lanes clear for emergency vehicles.
There are certain restrictions, like no throwing or kicking balls, no tents without prior approval, no kegs, no amplified sound systems, no fireworks and more. The full parking lot rules can be found here.
Tampa is known for its waterways, which you can explore on the Pirate Water Taxi or Yacht Starship. There’s the trolley that takes you around the Ybor City Historic District, home to cigar rolling and the 120-year-old Spanish-Cuban eatery Columbia Restaurant.
There are also dozens of golf courses, including professional ones like TPC Tampa Bay and Saddlebrook Resort Tampa.
What to bring and what not to bring
Here is a full list of prohibited items for the stadium.
Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates after beating Alabama 27-20 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.Neil Blake | MLive.com
New coach’s first bowl game
Head coach Sherrone Moore ended the regular season on a high note with an upset over national title contender and rival Ohio State. Now he gets his first crack at a bowl game, something that has been a thorn in many a Wolverine coach’s side.
Moore’s predecessor Jim Harbaugh went just 3-6 in the postseason. After a rout over Florida in the 2016 Citrus Bowl, Harbaugh’s teams lost four straight bowl games and two straight playoff semifinals. He broke the streak with last year’s Rose Bowl and national title game wins.
Brady Hoke also won his first bowl, an overtime win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. He and Rich Rodriguez lost their other three bowl games.
The winningest coach in program history Bo Schembechler famously had issues in bowl games, going 5-12 during his 20-year tenure from 1969 to 1989.
Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr had the most success in Michigan football history in bowl games, winning a combined 10 from 1990 to 2007. That included a 6-2 mark against Southeastern Conference teams.
Wolverine fans are hoping Moore is more like Carr or Moeller in this regard.
Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free “3@3 Ann Arbor” daily newsletter.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — June 19th is also Juneteenth, which signifies when the final African-American slaves in the United States learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.
It became a federal holiday in 2021, and it’s celebrated strongly in West Michigan.
In Kalamazoo, there will be festivities in Bronson Park from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, including food, dancing, and music.
“That’s very typical of how African Americans or people from the African diaspora celebrate,” said Dr. Sherrie Fuller, Director of Education & Training in the Vice President’s Area for Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s always food, it’s always dance, it’s all this music and it’s festive.”
This Juneteenth is a reminder of how far Black Americans have come, but a difficult reminder that there is still a long way to go for equality.
This week, a Black teenager was handcuffed and detained in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Battle Creek.
The boy’s family accused the officer of racial profiling, and the Battle Creek Police chief stands by his actions.
Dr. L.E. Johnson II of the Center for Afrocentric Thought was disgusted by the officer’s actions.
“What type of bias and prejudice are we dealing with here?” Dr. Johnson II said. “What that officer did was put blight on a legacy of a community that has worked hard to make things better for everybody. It was horrible what he did. He should be ashamed. He should be ashamed.”
Western Michigan University hosted a performance from Rootead on Friday afternoon at the multicultural center at the Trimpe Building.
Performers danced and played drums, focusing on their cultural roots.
“I believe people were able to have an opportunity to just kind of reflect on what the purpose of Juneteenth or the celebration of the holiday is all about, so it’s phenomenal,” said Dr. Fuller.
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Battle Creek will have a Juneteenth family day at Claude Evans Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Friday is Juneteenth. The long-celebrated holiday, which was officially declared a federal holiday in 2021, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free — two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
In Grand Rapids, a parade steps off at noon at the corner of Eastern and Hall. It will head to Dickinson Buffer Park, where an opening ceremony gets underway at 1 p.m. The celebration continues until the evening and will feature food, vendors and activities for kids.
Organizers say it’s important to recognize Juneteenth.
“We cannot properly deal with and accept our future if we don’t understand our past,” said Rhaeven Richardson with West Michigan Jewels of Africa. “So it’s very important for us to come together and bring notoriety for what Juneteenth stands for and how important it is — not just for people of color, but for everyone in this country.”
There are plenty of other Juneteenth events happening in Grand Rapids and around West Michigan. For a full list, click here.
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) is launching the L.E.A.D. Academy, a new leadership development program set to begin this fall as part of the department’s Safe Prisons Initiative.
L.E.A.D. Academy stands for Learn Today, Empower Tomorrow, Aspire Beyond, Develop a Legacy.
Officials say the program is a four-phase leadership development pathway designed to support employee growth at every stage of a career, and intends to advance training and staff support goals by preparing employees to lead “with skill, integrity and professionalism.”
“Our workforce is constantly evolving, and it is more important than ever that we are supporting our emerging leaders in a way that will create change-makers and thought-leaders in the correctional field,” MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said. “Well-trained professional staff create safe facilities by stepping above the status quo to challenge themselves, and those around them, to go above and beyond.”
MDOC partnered with Michigan State University to develop the program’s curriculum, focusing on leadership principles applied specifically to the corrections environment.
According to the MDOC, the program emphasizes daily conduct, communication, presence and professionalism as factors that can influence others and contribute to safer facilities.
“The curriculum is designed to help participants develop practical leadership skills rooted in communication, emotional intelligence, professionalism, and ethical decision-making,” Vivian Aranda-Hughes, an assistant professor in MSU’s School of Criminal Justice, said. “We are excited to support a program that invests in people and recognizes that leadership is demonstrated through the choices, actions, and influence individuals bring to their work every day.”
Applicants for the L.E.A.D. Academy will be selected through a formal review process after applying for the program, according to the MDOC.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements: one year of MDOC employment, attainment of satisfactory status during the initial probationary period, and full commitment to the program, including assignments outside the classroom.
Officials say the L.E.A.D. Academy is a key component of the state’s Safe Prisons Initiative, which was launched in March to improve safety and security across MDOC’s 26 prisons.
More information about MDOC’s Safe Prisons Initiative can be found online.
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