We have almost reached the ultimate Faculty Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship of the four-team period as No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington will sq. off on Monday in Houston, Texas. The winner of this much-anticipated showdown will emerge because the final undefeated staff standing within the FBS ranks whereas bringing dwelling the primary faculty soccer nationwide title for his or her college of the CFP or BCS period.
Michigan final gained the nationwide championship in 1997, the yr earlier than the BCS system went into impact, whereas Washington’s final title got here in 1991. This season, the Wolverines and Huskies used contrasting types whereas working the desk by their respective conferences and squeaking out shut CFP semifinal victories. Michigan’s nasty protection pitted towards Washington’s elite passing assault makes for a compelling last recreation of the 2023 season as we bid this period of school soccer farewell and welcome within the 12-team CFP period amid substantial convention realignment in 2024.
What must you count on in Houston on Monday evening? Let’s break down the sport and make picks straight up and towards the unfold.
CFP Nationwide Championship keys: How Michigan can win | How Washington can win
Michigan vs. Washington: Must know
Michael Penix Jr. the celebrity: A very powerful participant on this recreation is Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The sixth-year senior is 25-2 in two seasons as Huskies starter after a promising-but-injury-plagued run at Indiana over 4 seasons. Whereas with the Hoosiers, Penix performed beneath second-year Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who was then serving as Indiana offensive coordinator. The 2 reunited at UW in 2022, and the outcomes have been spectacular. Penix has surpassed 4,600 yards passing every of the previous two years and completed second in Heisman Trophy voting this season. A exactly correct left-handed thrower, Penix turned in one other gem in the course of the Sugar Bowl semifinal, lighting up Texas for 430 yards passing. His prime goal is huge receiver Rome Odunze, who enters with 87 receptions for 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns. Fellow receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan in addition to tight finish Jack Westover will even be a handful for Michigan’s vaunted protection.
Michigan’s nasty protection: The fame of the Wolverines protection precedes it for a cause. They enter ranked No. 1 nationally in yards allowed per recreation (243.1). No one has surpassed 400 yards or 24 factors towards Michigan, which simply held Alabama to a season-low 288 yards in a 27-20 Rose Bowl victory. Michigan has 4 gamers ranked inside the highest 75 of the 2024 CBS Sports activities NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, together with three who play within the secondary. That expertise on the again finish of the protection makes Michigan uniquely outfitted to include Washington’s passing assault. The Wolverines additionally registered six sacks within the Rose Bowl and can problem a UW offensive line that gained the Joe Moore Award because the nation’s finest.
Dominance vs. Clutch: Michigan has been dominant all season, however Washington has been clutch. The Wolverines have outscored opponents by a median of 25.8 factors per recreation in comparison with Washington’s margin of 13.5. They’ve additionally trailed in solely 5 video games, which is tied for fewest of any staff within the nation. In the meantime, Washington has gained 10 straight video games by 10 factors or much less. Whereas the Huskies have been far much less dominant than Michigan, they’ve grown snug navigating the troubles that come up in shut video games.
The way to watch Michigan vs. Washington stay
Sport: Faculty Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship
Date: Monday, Jan. 8 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: NRG Stadium — Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN | Stay stream: fuboTV (Attempt without spending a dime)
Michigan vs. Washington prediction, picks
Odds through SportsLine consensus
Unfold: Michigan -4.5 | Moneyline: Michigan -197, Washington +163 | O/U: 56.5
David Cobb: Michigan’s protection is so dominant that it is paying homage to the 2021 Georgia unit that carried the Bulldogs to their first nationwide title since 1980. The Wolverines have not allowed an opponent to achieve 400 complete yards in a recreation this season, and nobody has surpassed 24 factors towards them. Michigan is bodily sufficient to select up first downs with Blake Corum within the working recreation and put on down Washington’s protection. The Huskies have been residing on borrowed time with 10 straight victories of 10 factors or much less. This time, they lastly meet their match. Decide: Michigan -4.5 | Michigan 28, Washington 20
Dennis Dodd: These are two groups of future. Sadly, the soccer gods will solely enable one to go away the sector victorious on Monday. After watching Michigan outscheme and outplay Alabama, particularly at crunch time, I’ve to go together with the Wolverines. Search for Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to maintain pounding the rock and sucking the air out of the Washington protection. On protection, I feel defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s crew will get Penix sufficient off his mark to make a distinction. Please, Jim Harbaugh, scrap the trick performs and inform your punt returners to not area punts inside their 10-yard line. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Michigan 27, Washington 24
Tom Fornelli: I pinpointed Washington as a Faculty Soccer Playoff contender in September, so I have been an enormous fan of the Huskies all season. They’ll win this recreation, and so they can win a nationwide title. However, I do not assume they are going to. I’ve felt Michigan was the very best staff within the nation all through the season, so there is not any cause to again off that opinion now. Michigan will use the run recreation to dictate the tempo of this recreation and hold the Washington offense off the sector. Additionally, whereas Penix and his receivers are unbelievable, Michigan’s protection was constructed to cease the high-powered passing assault of Ohio State within the Large Ten. They have not seen an offense like Washington’s this season, however they’ve seen one thing related and handled it efficiently. Decide: Michigan -4.5 | Michigan 31, Washington 24
Chip Patterson: One of the simplest ways to defend Penix is to maintain him on the sideline, and that is precisely what I feel Michigan can do with a plodding-but-productive floor recreation. Washington should rating on a majority of its offensive possessions, because the Huskies did towards Texas of their semifinal win, however I feel there might be much less possessions whereas Michigan’s protection is a step up in competitors. There’s an actual “Final Dance” really feel round this Michigan staff that would (and perhaps will) have greater than a dozen gamers chosen within the 2024 NFL Draft. Their response on the finish of the Rose Bowl suggests the material of the 2023 Wolverines is actually championship caliber. Decide: Michigan -4.5, Below 56.5 | Michigan 31, Washington 24
Barrett Sallee: The fallacious staff is favored right here. The Washington offense is well-suited to deliver the struggle to the Michigan protection in a a lot completely different method than Alabama. The offensive line is rather more able to slowing down the fierce Wolverines entrance seven and can give Penix rather more time to hit his super-talented huge receivers deep downfield. Even when Penix feels stress, he is likely one of the finest within the enterprise in eluding hassle whereas maintaining his eyes downfield. Is that this recreation going to be a monitor meet? In all probability not. Nevertheless, the Huskies offense will get Michigan out of its consolation zone, spring the upset and win this system’s first nationwide title since 1991. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 30, Michigan 27
Shehan Jeyarajah: Washington boasts the longest successful streak in faculty soccer, a 21-game mark that includes 9 wins over AP Prime 25 groups and 4 wins over top-10 groups. No. 1 Michigan presents a troublesome, bodily problem, however the Huskies might be prepared. Alabama struggled to deal with unique alignments and misdirection, however — and that is unusual to say — Washington is best coached than the Crimson Tide. The Huskies will come ready with some trickery of their very own, Penix’s excellence presents the largest mismatch on this Faculty Soccer Playoff. Washington has to deal with its enterprise up entrance, however controlling Texas on either side ought to give loads of optimism. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 31, Michigan 27
Will Backus: This recreation might be determined within the trenches. Michigan eviscerated Alabama’s offensive line, whereas Washington stood sturdy and did not enable a single sack towards a Texas line of defense that encompasses a pair of potential first-rounders in Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat. Seems the Washington offensive line is legit. The Huskies even have an edge at quarterback with Penix working the present and an underrated protection that ought to have the ability to pull out sufficient stops. Give me the Huskies overlaying and successful this one outright. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 35, Michigan 30
Dean Straka: Washington has a aptitude for the dramatic; every of its final 10 victories have come by 10 factors or much less. But, coach Kalen DeBoer’s group has discovered a technique to get the job executed time and again. Why ought to or not it’s any completely different Monday for a staff that has a few of the most harmful and show-stopping offensive ability gamers in faculty soccer? Michigan’s prowess on protection might be not like something the Huskies have handled this season, however Washington’s offense can also be working at a degree which the Wolverines have but to come across. The latter will win the day, propelling the Huskies to their first nationwide title since 1991. It will be an applicable — and bittersweet — sendoff for the Pac-12 earlier than the “Convention of Champions” sees 10 of its 12 members depart this summer season. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 34, Michigan 28
Cameron Salerno: For the third consecutive recreation, Washington finds themselves as an underdog. The Huskies had been 9.5-point underdogs within the Pac-12 Championship Sport towards Oregon final month and had been as soon as once more not favored (+3.5) within the Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinal towards Texas. UW has handed each check in entrance of it, and Michigan is the ultimate boss standing in the way in which of a storybook ending for this system and the Pac-12. The Huskies cowl and win this recreation outright behind their explosive offense. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 31, Michigan 24
Jack Crosby: It has been unbelievable to observe Washington’s journey by this season, and this program appears in nice arms beneath coach Kalen DeBoer within the foreseeable future because it will get set to begin a brand new period within the Large Ten. Nonetheless, it is laborious to disregard how dominant this Michigan staff has been all season, particularly alongside the strains of scrimmage, the place it issues most. I count on the Wolverines to finally put on down this Huskies staff up entrance and prevail in the long run — sending the faculty soccer world right into a frenzy as they need to acknowledge this Jim Harbaugh-led staff as their nationwide champion. Decide: Michigan -4.5 | Michigan 31, Washington 21
Ben Kercheval: Michigan is favored for a cause. If that defensive entrance will get to Penix routinely, it is most likely curtains. However, man, Washington simply retains discovering a method. I am not speaking about TCU’s magic beans right here; the Huskies can win this factor. These had been Sunday throws from Penix within the Sugar Bowl. That game-ending PBU by cornerback Elijah Jackson was a hammer. He swatted it away. This staff has playmakers, and a method or one other, it routinely solutions the bell. That probably means doing one thing nobody has been in a position to do towards the Wolverines this season: hit 30 factors. That might be troublesome however not unattainable. I picked Washington to win all of it initially and will not bail now. Why would I? It is faculty soccer. Consider in one thing. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 30, Michigan 28
Jerry Palm: I’m most wanting ahead to the matchup between Washington’s offensive line and Michigan’s entrance seven. The important thing for the Huskies might be to provide Penix time to do his factor. Washington’s protection is inferior to the Wolverines’ unit, but it surely makes performs when it counts. If this recreation is as shut in the long run as I count on, that is proper in Washington’s wheelhouse. The Huskies have now gained 9 of their final ten video games by single-digit margins. Michigan is a deserved favourite, however I like Washington’s mojo. Decide: Washington +4.5 | Washington 31, Michigan 28
