Previewing Washington vs. Michigan for CFP title
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz takes a look at the strengths and storylines in the Huskies and Wolverines matchup for the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Video Transcript
[AUDIO LOGO]
JASON FITZ: The college football playoff national championship matchup is set. And for all of the controversy with the College Football Playoff Committee and the chatter about who did or didn't belong in the playoffs, the final answer of who we get in the title game was actually pretty simple. The number one team in the country, Michigan, will take on the number two team, Washington. Michigan gets there by way of a 27-20 overtime win over Alabama. And Washington gets there by beating Texas in a late-night matchup that mirrors much of their season.
While so many people have been in bed throughout the course of the year, Washington's done the one thing they needed to do every single week to get here-- won football games. Washington is sitting here with the AP Coach of the Year, with the Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback, with the Biletnikoff Award finalist at wide receiver, and, oh, by the way, the best offensive line in the country.
Now, that offensive line is going to be tested against a Michigan defensive front that absolutely gave Alabama fits. Jalen Milroe couldn't see straight, particularly in the first half of their semifinal matchup, because of the power of that defensive line. This is strength on strength for two teams that managed to do the one thing that was impossible this year in the college football world. They managed to win consistently.
Sure, there have been questions at times. Was Michigan's schedule difficult enough? Was Washington complete enough as a football team? Remember, the College Football Playoff Committee actually did not have them in the top for several weeks because they said they wanted to see more of a complete team. This is a team that was a huge underdog in the Pac-12 championship game. But they put it all together. And they've reminded us, particularly in their semifinal matchup against Texas, that they can score from anywhere, anytime, and they can match any team point for point.
The most interesting part of this matchup might actually be what it means for both teams and their respective conferences. Let's be honest, the Big Ten is never going to look the same after this year with conference expansion coming. But the Pac-12 won't even exist as we know it today. So Washington goes in with the opportunity to give us the perfect storybook ending to an incredible season.
Can the Pac-12 win a national championship as the conference as we know it is essentially disbanded? That is the great question. On the other side, can Michigan, with all of their storied history, do what seems to be the impossible and win a championship with Harbaugh in a season that has been mired in controversy? The storylines are all over the place for this one. But what we know is the game itself is truly giving us the two best teams from college football this season.