Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA By Icon Sport
Washington vs Michigan: National Championship Game
The Washington Huskies and the Michigan Wolverines will round up in the National Championship Game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Both teams are undefeated this season and have not won the trophies since the 1990s.
Washington season recap
The Washington Huskies finished the regular season with a 13-0 record. They won with a total of 8 points in the last three regular season games. In the semifinals, the Huskies defeated the Texas Longhorns 37-31 with a superb performance by QB Michael Penix Jr. He threw 29 for 38 with no turnovers and connected on 12 straight passes at one point in the game. The Huskies are 11th in the nation, scoring 37.6 points per game and going for 473.6 yards per game. They lead the league with 350 passing yards per game and are ranked fifth with 7.2 yards per play. Defensively, Washington is 50th, allowing 24.1 points per game.
Michigan season recap
The Michigan Wolverines also finished the regular season with a 13-0 record, leaving the opponents to a single-digit score in 8 of those 13 games. The Wolverines are coming off a 27-20 overtime win over Alabama in the semifinals. JJ McCarthy had 221 yards and three TDs in the game and connected on 63% of passing attempts. Michigan has the best defense in the nation, allowing only 10.2 points per game. They are ranked second, allowing 244.5 yards per game. Offensively, the Wolverines are 14th with 36 points per game.
Betting Trends
Washington is 7-6-1 ATS for the season. They are 3-0-0 ATS as underdogs and 2-0-0 ATS on neutral field.
Player to watch
Michael Penix Jr. is the star QB for Washington. He has thrown for 4,648 yards this season, with 35 TDs and an 85.7 QB rating. He was the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting. Penix Jr. is coming off an impressive 430-yard performance in the semifinal win over Texas. He spent the first four seasons at Indiana, where he managed to beat Michigan. Penix Jr. has had surgeries on both knees, and this was the season when he could finally play injury-free.
Injury Reports
OL Gaard Memmelaar and RB Cameron Davis are out for Washington while RB Sam Adams II is questionable. For Michigan, OL Zak Zinter, QB Davis Warren, WR Logan Forbes, RB CJ Stokes, and WR Karmello English are all out.
Prediction and Conclusion
The two undefeated and the two top-ranked schools in the country will collide in the national championship games. This is the third straight playoff for the Wolverines and the first time they have advanced to the final. The last time Michigan won it was in 1997, while the Huskies lifted the trophy for the last time in 1991. Michigan is a 5.5-point favorite in this game, and they covered that one in every single game this season. However, Washington is a tough team, with Michael Penix Jr. playing the last game of his college career. He has gone over 350 yards six times this season, and he will find a way to keep the Huskies close in this game, covering the spread.
10 no sweat bets up to $1000 total
