Jace’s Thoughts:
My Dad skipped our New Year’s party in 1998.
We placed his photo up by the TV so he could hang with us anyway. I was five years old and didn’t know much about it. All I knew was that he was in California for something important.
After he got back, I noticed his office got some new décor. There was a new poster, for one, clipped from The Detroit News. A crimson & grey pom hung next to a maize & blue one behind the door. A random seat cushion with a rose on it that I thought was weird and kinda ugly.
I didn’t have any idea the significance of what had happened.
—
It’s twenty-six years later.
I now have a five year old of my own. Michigan has just won another Rose Bowl. There’s another All-American corner for Michigan wearing #2. Michigan will face another team from the state of Washington in hopes of another national championship.
History is weird like that sometimes.
The storylines ahead of Monday night’s national championship are endless. Connor Stalions’ past, Jim Harbaugh’s future, and the most talented team in program history’s present. It’s Mikey Sainristil and JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum. It’s Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze and Dillon Johnson. It’s the best defense in the country against the best offense in the country (except the best defense in the country also has one of the better offenses in the country). It’s the Big Ten against the PAC-12 except it’s really the Big Ten.
Monday’s premiere matchup will be Michigan’s secondary against Washington’s wide receivers. The Wolverines have successfully handled Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Isaiah Bond, and Jermaine Burton. But none of those receivers had Michael Penix Jr. slinging them the ball – this is an entirely different test.
Washington also boasts the best offensive line in the country – something Michigan had claimed back-to-back years prior. However, the PAC-12 is not known for . . . uh . . . suffocating defenses. Michigan’s pass rush destroyed a talented Alabama line and made life a nightmare for Jalen Milroe. If the Wolverines see anything remotely close to the success they had in Pasadena, that blows the game wide open.
The point of exploitation for Michigan is Washington’s defense (see above on the PaC-12). Michigan has a dynamic offense that can beat you in countless ways. Expect a much more Michigan-esque consistency from the Wolverine offense than we saw against Alabama. The best defense against Penix & Co. is simply not giving them the football. If I were Michigan, I would simply march down the field on 15 play, 11:30 touchdown drives.
That’s just me, though.
Okay, okay. Enough stalling.
I think Michigan’s defense is going to surprise a lot of folks on Monday night. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see them play well, especially after the lights-out performance in the Rose Bowl. But it’s a lot like working in IT – if nobody notices, then you’re probably doing something right. For all the talk about the high-powered Washington offense, it seems that Michigan’s shutdown defense is being spectacularly overlooked in the matchup. So be it. Defense wins championships, after all.
Add to your expectations an offense unlikely to sputter the way they did at times against Alabama. This is the game the offensive veterans came back to Michigan to play. After a night where the defense gave them unmerited opportunities, expect them to come out firing on all cylinders. Heck, I’ve even got a Donovan Edwards touchdown on the bingo card.
Let’s party like it’s 1998.
MICHIGAN 34 WASHINGTON 27
JP’s Thoughts:
In a season where Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will have spent almost as much time on his couch on Saturdays than on the sidelines, the Michigan Wolverines are headed to Houston for a matchup against the Washington Huskies with a national championship on the line.
Regardless of the outcome, the narrative will be the same for most of the nation.
They cheated.
This season will forever have an asterisk attached to it.
Michigan can’t escape that narrative, no matter how many wins they achieved since Connor Stalions became an ex-employee of the university.
Two things can be true though.
This is also a very good football team.
So is Washington.
Michael Penix is the best QB their defense will have faced all year.
The Washington offense is LOADED with talent across the board, comparable to what Ohio State has, but with a Heisman finalist QB behind center.
Michigan can’t have a repeat of performance from this past weekend and continually turn the ball over.
Washington can and will make them pay for those mistakes.
On Monday night, no one will be a bigger fan of Washington than me.
And if the trend of me picking games continues and I choose wrong,
Here is my pick for the national title game.
Go Bucks!
Washington 24 Michigan 35
