CFB National Championship: Michigan take on Washington for the ultimate prize in college football
The final two undefeated teams in College Football will face off in the National Championship game in Houston on Tuesday. Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies (14-0) will take on the Michigan Wolverines (14-0) and their number one ranked defence in the college game.
Both teams are yet to win the CFB title, leaving so much on the line for the players and staff. For many players, it is their final chance to leave a lasting impression on their university before looking ahead to the NFL Draft.
How the teams made it here
Michigan have the best defence in college football and it isn’t close. They lead the country in points against averaging just 9.5 and they showed out in their 27-20 overtime win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl last week. Five players combined for six sacks against the Tide, and it was their defence that stood strong with a goal line stop, denying Alabama from extending overtime.
Offensively they have been middling in terms of stats, but quarterback J.J. McCarthy was excellent last week. He threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns, with running back Blake Corum rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown.
The Washington team they face have one of the best offenses in the country, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Penix Jr. In a shootout against the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl, he threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns as both sides battled back and forth as the Huskies ran out 37-31 winners.
They have two brilliant wide receivers in Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, who both went for over 120 yards last week. These two will look to cause the Wolverines defensive backs serious issues. Defensively they aren’t so strong. The defensive line is led by Bralen Trice, who is a stud, but they do give up 23.6 points per game and so will need to get themselves off the field and take the pressure off the offense needing to score a high amount of points.
Battle for the line of scrimmage
Both teams have exceptional offensive lines and winning the line of scrimmage will be key to this game. The Huskies won the Joe Moore Award, given to the team with the best offensive line. They then stopped a stellar Texas d-line from registering a sack in the Sugar Bowl.
Roger Rosengarten has had an excellent season at tackle, allowing zero sacks and just two QB hits. The left side of the line has Troy Fautanu, who didn’t allow a single pressure against Texas and registered an 83.0 pass block grade from PFF.
Taking on the best defence is a tough ask and the defensive line of Michigan’s has playmakers all along it. Six players have three or more sacks on the season with Jaylen Harrell leading with 6.5. Kris Jenkins, Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore and Braiden McGregor and others are all capable of leaving their mark on the game.
Michigan’s offensive line is strong as well and as previously mentioned, Trice is a seriously good edge rusher and so that is the other side that both teams will look to gain an advantage over their opponents.
Wide Receiver vs Cornerback matchups
Winning the line of scrimmage is always the foundation for any good football team and then the battle in the secondary is where the glitz and the glamour takes place. The matchup between both sets of cornerbacks and wide receivers will create fireworks and is a must watch across the field.
First up we have Odunze of the Huskies looking to get past Will Johnson. Odunze has over 1500 yards on the season and 13 touchdowns. Where this gets fun is that Johnson is yet to give up a touchdown and limits quarterbacks to a 35.4 passer rating when targeting him.
Mike Sainrstil will likely take the Polk assignment and again that will be a brilliant head-to-head battle. The Wolverines corner has five interceptions this season and allows just a 66.6 pass rating. Polk has 1122 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, making him and Odunze a brilliant duo for Penix to use.
Michigan’s Roman Wilson was their leading receiver this season with 12 touchdowns, impressive for a team that leans on the run and spreads the ball around. The Huskies have Jabbar Muhammad in their secondary, who has only given up two touchdowns and has three interceptions to go with.
Other playmakers across the field
This isn’t so much about the battles but there are players on both sides that you should keep an eye on for the big plays.
Blake Corum is the running back for the Wolverines and his game-winning touchdown in overtime against Alabama has added to what has been an exceptional season. 1111 yards and 25 touchdowns, taking his total to 56 in a Michigan jersey and becoming the all-time career rushing leader for the school.
Washington linebacker Edefuan Olofoshio is their defensive leader and is a great tackler in the open as well as being able to be effective in the run game. He has a 91.0 PFF grade in coverage and will look to direct traffic for his side.
The Big Ten is a competitive conference and Michigan’s Mason Graham leads all defensive tackles in the conference with a 88.5 PFF grade. He only has three sacks on the season but the disruption he causes at the line is what allows the defence to thrive.
Penix Jr. vs McCarthy
Like any game of football, the quarterbacks always have a huge say in what happens and this game is no different. With both expected to declare for the draft, this is their last opportunity to show NFL front offices why they should be the face of their franchise moving forward.
Penix Jr. has simply been sensational this season. He fell short of the Heisman due to Jayden Daniels putting up video game like stats, but this could make up for it should he lift the National Championship in Houston. This season he leads the country in passing yards with 4648, has thrown 35 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.
Now McCarthy may not have the stats of Penix, but he is still an assured passer and his ball security is great too. On the season he has passed for 2851 yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Corum is likely to see a lot of the ball on the ground but don’t be surprised by McCarthy and his ability to make plays.
If Penix manages to put up his usual stats against this Michigan defence, then his draft stock is going to rocket. He has all the makings of a great QB, but this is the game and occasion to really see what level he can play at.
My Pick
It is such a tough one to call with both sides being terrific all season for different reasons. Washington’s offense is so much fun to watch and part of me would like to see them lift the trophy. I just think Michigan’s defence and ability to win games is second-to-none and why I think they will take home the title.
It will be a great game and a great spectacle regardless of the result and it’s fitting that it’s the two best teams across the season that have made their way here. Can Washington add one more win to their 21-win streak? Will John Harbaugh win Michigan their first CFB title before potentially returning to the NFL?
My prediction is a 31-28 Michigan Wolverines win.
Game Details
The game will take place at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Kick off is at 19:30 ET (12:30am GMT) on Tuesday 9th January. UK viewers can watch the game live on the Sky Sports NFL channel.
Make sure to follow @offGrid_NFL on X along with myself (@moxon_will) as I will be covering the game live on there too.
