The 2023 college football season has just one game remaining on the schedule. And how about this, but this game to decide the national champion just so happens to feature the top two teams in the country. On Monday night in Houston, Texas, No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington will clash in the College Football Playoff National Championship as both programs look for their first national title of the BCS/CFP era.
This is a game of conflicting styles between two teams that will be conference foes come 2024. Michigan has enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory by bullying opponents with a power run game and suffocating defense. While Washington boasts a solid run game of its own, the bread and butter of the Huskies’ attack is in the passing game. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was a Heisman Trophy finalist after posting incredible numbers throwing to the deepest receiving corps in the country.
Who will emerge from this battle in Houston as national champions? I wish I knew the answer because I could make a lot of money if I did! Alas, I don’t, but I’m more than happy to offer my best guesses about what will play out on Monday night.
CFP National Championship keys: How Michigan wins | How Washington wins
National Championship: (1) Michigan vs. (2) Washington
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The general narrative surrounding these teams will be that Washington is the better offensive team and Michigan the better defensive team. It’s an accurate assessment but one that’s a bit too generic. Yes, Washington averaged 37.6 points per game, but Michigan averaged 36.0. The vast difference comes in the yardage total, where the Huskies posted 473.6 yards per game to Michigan’s 378.4, but that’s due more to approach than philosophy.
From an efficiency…
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