The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies face off Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship game and one team will come away with its first national title in decades. The Wolverines (14-0) have claimed 10 national championships, their most recent coming in 1997, when they shared the title with Nebraska. The Huskies (14-0) won their only title in 1991, when they beat Michigan 34-14 in the Rose Bowl and split the title with Miami. The teams last met in 2021, a 31-10 Wolverines victory in Ann Arbor. Michigan defeated Alabama 27-21 in overtime Monday to earn its title shot, while Washington beat Texas 37-31.
Monday's kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Wolverines are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Washington vs. Michigan odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under for total points scored is 56.5. Before making any Michigan vs. Washington picks, you need to see whom Mike Tierney is picking, given his track record of strong picks in games involving the Wolverines.
Tierney, the veteran sportswriter whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, has covered college football of all levels for decades. In addition, Tierney has an excellent read on the Wolverines, going 14-5 on his past 19 college football picks against the spread in games involving Michigan. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Washington vs. Michigan and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several college football odds and trends for Michigan vs. Washington:
- Michigan vs. Washington spread: Wolverines -4.5
- Michigan vs. Washington over/under: 56.5 points
- Michigan vs. Washington money line: Wolverines -196, Huskies +161
- WASH: Is 6-2-1 ATS against ranked foes under coach Kalen DeBoer.
- MICH: Is 9-3 ATS in its past 12 matchups against ranked opponents.
- Michigan vs. Washington: See picks at SportsLine
- Michigan vs. Washington live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Michigan can cover
The favorite is 4-0 against the spread in the past four title games, covering by at least 12 each time. The Wolverines are outscoring opponents by almost 26 points per game. The UM defense, which had six sacks in Monday's victory, is allowing 10.2 points per game, fewest in FBS. The unit ranks second in the nation in both total yards (244.5) and passing yards (150.0) allowed per game. Six players have at least three sacks, led by Jaylen Harrell (6.5) and Josaiah Stewart (5.5).
The Michigan offense should be able to throw on a Washington defense that allows 267 passing yards per game, 122nd in the nation. UM quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is 26-1 as a starter, is second in the nation in completion percentage (72.1) and has 22 TD passes and just four interceptions. Receiver Roman Wilson has 12 TDs, including the game-tying score Monday. Running back Blake Corum has a TD in every game and has at least two in six straight. See which team to pick here.
Why Washington can cover
The Wolverines have won 21 consecutive games, the longest active streak in FBS. The past 10, however, have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and the Huskies are 7-6-1 against the spread this season. Penix, the Heisman runner-up, threw for 420 yards and two touchdowns Monday night and has 4,641 passing yards. The senior is the first quarterback since Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes in 2015-16 to top 4,500 yards in consecutive seasons.
Receivers Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk combined for 247 yards Monday, and Odunze has a school-record 1,553 yards this season. The duo combined for 22 touchdowns this season, and both averaged more than 17 yards per catch. Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer, who was Penix's offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2019, is 6-0 in his career against ranked teams on the road or on a neutral field. Defense is the Huskies' weakness, but UW had two takeaways Monday night. See which team to pick here.
How to make Washington vs. Michigan picks
Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Washington vs. Michigan, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Michigan vs. Washington spread hits, all from the expert on a 14-5 run on spread picks in games involving the Wolverines, and find out.
