College Football Playoff National Championship game: First look at Michigan vs. Washington
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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
All season, it was “Michigan vs. Everybody” within the walls of the Wolverines’ program.
Now, it’s down to Michigan vs. Washington.
The No. 1 Wolverines (14-0) will face the No. 2 Huskies (14-0) in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 8 at NRG Stadium in Houston. This year’s title game — the last in a four-team playoff before the field expands to 12 for the 2024 season — will feature two undefeated squads making their first appearance in the championship game in the CFP era.
Galvanized by accusations of an elaborate sign-stealing scandal that became the biggest story of the season, Michigan has found ways to overcome obstacles and win — a consistent trait that propelled them to a 27-20 overtime victory against SEC champion Alabama on Monday night in the CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential.
“It was do or die,” Michigan offensive tackle Trevor Keegan said. “We’ve been through some things. We’ve had to overcome obstacles and adversity. People can say it’s adversity. People can saw we cheated. But I really don’t give a f—. It was adversity, and this team relied on each other, and it showed that last quarter and in overtime.”
After losing in the semifinals during each of the previous two campaigns, Michigan earned its first CFP win.
It’s also the last time Washington will represent the Pac-12, as the league has been decimated by realignment and the Huskies will be joining the Big Ten in 2024.
With Alabama’s loss, this will be the first CFP national championship game since Ohio State faced Oregon in the inaugural 2014 season that won’t feature an SEC team.
Instead, it will highlight two squads with a chance to become only the sixth team in major college football history to finish 15-0 or better.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Washington
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
When: Monday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Opening line from ESPN BET: Michigan -4.5
Jump to:
Coaches | Paths to the championship
Key players | Matchups to watch
Last meeting | X factors
The coaches
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh: Heading into the 2021 season, Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor was tenuous, as he entered that fall 0-5 against rival Ohio State and without any CFP appearances. He has since flipped the script, beating the Buckeyes three straight seasons to win the Big Ten and advance to the CFP. This was the first time, though, that Harbaugh had won a semifinal game, snapping his six-game losing streak in bowls. With the victory against Alabama, Harbaugh has a chance to win a national title for his alma mater, where he played quarterback from 1983 to 1986.
Harbaugh, in the second year of a five-year contract with Michigan, can’t escape the speculation surrounding his future with the program. There are still two separate and ongoing NCAA investigations — one for alleged recruiting violations and another for an alleged sign-stealing scheme — that resulted in Harbaugh being suspended for half of the 2023 regular season. There’s also Harbaugh’s past flirtations with the NFL. Michigan’s administration wants to keep Harbaugh and has made that clear; it’s up to him to agree to it. Would winning a national title influence his decision?
Washington’s Kalen DeBoer: In only his second season as the Huskies’ head coach, DeBoer has led the program to 21 straight victories — the longest active win streak in the FBS — and the school’s first appearance in a national championship game. It’s a far climb from DeBoer’s humble beginnings as head coach of his alma mater, the small University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota — but it’s the same goal as it was then, when he won as many NAIA national titles (three) and had as many undefeated seasons (three) as he had losses.
DeBoer was 67-3 overall at Sioux Falls, including a 17-2 record in the playoffs. DeBoer’s ascension from NAIA to FCS to the Group of 5 and ultimately the sport’s biggest stage has spanned over two decades, seven schools and three head-coaching jobs, including at Washington. The longtime relationships he has developed with his staff, including Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and the staff continuity have had a direct correlation to the Huskies’ success. Washington’s entire full-time coaching staff remained intact from the 2022 season — a rarity in today’s coaching carousel postseason — and DeBoer has been the glue.
How they got here
Michigan: Despite their head coach being suspended for six of the 12 regular-season games, the Wolverines reached the national title game because of their unity, talent and acting head coach Sherrone Moore. With Harbaugh suspended for the final three games of the regular season — versus the most important and most difficult opponents on the schedule — Moore guided the Wolverines to wins against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State. The “Michigan vs. Everybody” merch and mentality combined with what could be the program’s best team in decades resulted in a perfect season that now includes a statement win against the sport’s most accomplished program and coach. Michigan’s aggressive defense sacked Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe six times, and the Wolverines overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to prevail in overtime.
The CFP selection committee considered Michigan a top-four team all season, but it didn’t bump the Wolverines into the top spot until Selection Day, after then-No. 1 Georgia lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. No team in the CFP race has ever faced such serious allegations of cheating, but the CFP maintained its stance that as long as a team was eligible to participate in a bowl game, it could be ranked by the committee. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel was one of the 13 committee members, but he recused himself from voting when Michigan was in consideration. Michigan has now won 14 games in a season for the first time in school history.
Last national title: 1997 (shared with Nebraska)
Washington: This is a team that has been fueled by its underdog status and perceived lack of respect. The Huskies’ 36-33 win against Oregon on Oct. 14 signaled they should be considered the Pac-12’s leading contender for the CFP this season, but not everyone was convinced they were top-four material. The selection committee was unimpressed with ugly wins against Arizona State and Stanford, and it questioned the Huskies’ defense. It wasn’t until November — after Washington reeled off consecutive wins against USC, Utah and Oregon State to hit the 11-0 mark — that the Huskies cracked the committee’s top four.
Washington was still a 9.5-point underdog against Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, which the Huskies won. Washington was again the betting underdog against Texas — another lower-ranked opponent with a loss — in Monday’s semifinal. Again, though, Washington’s offense had the upper hand, propelled by Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. This time, the signal-caller took advantage of a Texas pass defense that has now allowed six of its opponents to throw for over 300 yards this season.
Last national title: 1991 (shared with Miami)
Key players
Michigan: RB Blake Corum. When starting right guard Zak Zinter suffered a season-ending leg injury in the Wolverines’ win against Ohio State, the team lost its top run-blocker. That was evident in the Big Ten title game against Iowa, as none of Corum’s 16 carries went longer than 6 yards. That wasn’t the case against Alabama, as Corum registered 118 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. His 56 career rushing touchdowns are the most in school history.
Washington: WR Rome Odunze. It’s hard to separate Odunze from Ja’Lynn Polk, as they represent one of four 1,000-yard receiving tandems in the FBS, but Odunze has been particularly clutch. He entered the semifinal against Texas with 82% of his receptions having gone for first downs or touchdowns.
Matchup to watch
Michigan’s defensive line vs. Washington’s offensive line. Michigan has recorded 16 sacks in its past four games, including four against Iowa and six against Alabama. Michigan pushed its way into the Crimson Tide’s backfield and limited their running game to 43 yards in the first half while sacking Milroe five times.
Entering Monday, Penix had completed just 41% of his passes when outside of the pocket. Washington, though, only gave up 11 sacks all season, and the Longhorns were unable to get to Penix. If Michigan is going to find a way to win, it has to find its way into the backfield again.
Last meeting
Sept. 11, 2021: Michigan 31, Washington 10. Washington has seen Corum before. In 2021, he ran for a 67-yard touchdown to give Michigan a double-digit lead in the second quarter. Washington finished 4-8 that year under former coach Jimmy Lake, while Harbaugh finished 12-2 with a loss to Georgia in the CFP semifinals.
X factors
Michigan’s special teams. The Wolverines muffed a punt in the first quarter against Alabama, missed an extra point in the second quarter because of a botched snap and missed a field goal wide left in the fourth quarter.
Washington defensive end Bralen Trice. For the second straight season, Trice was named the team’s MVP on defense. He sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers twice on Monday night and was equally as disruptive against Oregon this season, posting four tackles and a pass breakup in the Pac-12 title game.
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Andrea Adelson
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Andrea Adelson
ESPN Senior Writer
- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
- Graduate of the University of Florida.
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David Hale
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David Hale
ESPN Staff Writer
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.
After an awkwardly handled replay late in the first half of last weekend’s game between UConn and Syracuse, a longtime ACC official has quit his post over frustration with the way the review was handled, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Gary Patterson, who served as the head referee for Saturday’s matchup between the Huskies and the Orange and has worked as an official with the ACC since 2002, abruptly terminated his contract with the conference after the game.
The ACC confirmed Patterson’s departure from the conference’s roster of officials Friday but said that adjustments to officiating crews have already been made and that there will be no disruption to league officiating. Patterson had been scheduled to referee Saturday’s game between Pitt and West Virginia.
The sequence that reportedly led to Patterson’s departure began with 1:02 remaining in the half and UConn leading 14-3. Syracuse opened a drive at the Huskies’ 25-yard line, and on first down, quarterback Steve Angeli dropped back to pass. His arm was hit as he threw, and the ball went forward about 8 yards, landing on the turf.
The officials immediately ruled the pass incomplete. Syracuse then snapped the ball again with 58 seconds left on the clock, though about 25 seconds of real time passed between plays. The second-down throw was nearly intercepted before two UConn players collided and the pass fell incomplete, bringing up a third-and-10 with 53 seconds to go.
A flag was thrown after the play, however, and Patterson could be seen talking on his headset to the ACC’s command center for nearly 90 seconds before announcing that “replay had buzzed in prior to the previous play.”
Sources who have reviewed numerous camera angles of the sequence said there was no physical indication by any official on the field that they had been buzzed by the replay booth before the second-down snap. An ACC spokesperson said that officials were buzzed to initiate the review but that the timing was not ideal for it to be a seamless replay. The conference has addressed the handling of this sequence internally, the spokesperson said.
Officials reviewed the first-down play to see whether Angeli had fumbled, negating the second-down play, before ultimately upholding the original call of an incomplete pass.
Syracuse and UConn officials were told the referee had simply “not heard” the initial request from the replay booth before the second-down snap.
ESPN rules expert Bill LeMonnier, who has decades of experience as an official, said the series of events was uncharacteristic of how a replay would normally be handled.
“Let’s say they’re right up at the line, the ball’s being snapped, and the buzzers go off,” LeMonnier said. “It’s the referee’s discretion to shut the play down vs. saying it’s too late. It’s supposed to be in the referee’s hands.”
LeMonnier also said a flag thrown after the second-down play, which was presumably due to a high hit on Angeli by a UConn defender, was ignored, despite rules saying a personal foul would be enforced even during a dead ball period.
“The mistakes were completely created by either the replay booth or the command center,” LeMonnier said. “It’s not the fault of the officials on the field.”
Every play is subject to review. When officials are buzzed to begin the process, they get on the headset with the replay booth in the stadium and the ACC command center and the review is initiated.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation said the directive came from the ACC command center.
One source said Patterson was upset at the ACC’s interference in forcing a replay after the next play had already occurred, instigating his resignation. Patterson did not respond to requests by ESPN for comment.
After the second-down incompletion was wiped out, Syracuse went 61 yards on its next seven plays and kicked a field goal as time expired in the half. The Orange went on to win the game 27-20 in overtime.
For select games this season, the ACC has allowed cameras and audio access to the review process, offering transparency into the discussions between on-field officials and replay officials at the command center. Last week’s game between UConn and Syracuse, however, was not among those with command center coverage.
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David Hale
The Backyard Brawl is set to continue until at least 2036 after Pitt and West Virginia agreed to an extension of the series.
The two schools will face off Saturday for the 108th time in their history before taking a three-year break. The series will begin again in 2029 and be played each year thereafter until 2036.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled for what this means for both Pitt and West Virginia,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “But this goes far beyond four more games and the 75 miles separating us. This paves the way for future Panthers to carry on the history of this rivalry, while current ones get to forge new legacies for years to come. This extension isn’t just for Pitt and West Virginia, but for college football fans everywhere.”
The rivalry dates back to 1895, but it was interrupted after the 2011 meeting when West Virginia departed the Big East for the Big 12. Pitt joined the ACC a year later. The Brawl disappeared for 10 years until it was reignited as a nonconference matchup in 2022. Pitt holds an all-time edge, 63-41-3, and has won two of the past three.
The two schools had already scheduled games from 2029 through 2032 before Friday’s announcement of an extension.
West Virginia, which hosts Saturday’s showdown, will also welcome the Panthers in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036. Pitt will host the game in 2029, 2031, 2033 and 2035
Narduzzi was critical of West Virginia earlier this week, suggesting the Mountaineers could have added Pitt in 2026, too, after a home-and-home series against Alabama was shelved. Instead, the Mountaineers will face Coastal Carolina next season.
“I think our athletic director has reached out to them, and they already got it filled up, which means maybe they didn’t want to play us,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know. They filled it up. I know if we knew that was going to happen, that would be our first call. Whatever. Can’t do anything about it. Stay in my lane.”
Narduzzi told ESPN earlier this week that “nobody’s chicken” and he may have gotten bad information but that he is eager to keep the rivalry alive, adding Pitt will “take Penn State, too” — referring to another heated rivalry that’s been played just four times since 2000.
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