College Football Playoff National Championship preview: Future conference foes square off for title

 The 2023 college football season has come to an end as two undefeated teams compete for the national championship.

Michigan and Washington are trying to become the sixth team in major college football history to finish the season 15-0.

The matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston is between two teams that will play against each other as conference foes next season as Washington departs the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024.

Both programs are trying to break long-standing national championship droughts and will be playing in their first-ever CFP title game.

Michigan last won a national title in 1997 (shared with Nebraska) while Washington's last championship was in 1991 (shared with Miami).

It will be a battle of opposites as Michigan's dominant defense will counter Washington's high-powered offense.

Let's take a look at what to see when Michigan and Washington play for the Final Four-team playoff trophy.

The Washington Huskies will again enter the championship game as underdogs after being underdogs in their last two games against Oregon and Texas.

It's been a season of close calls for Washington, having won its last 10 games by 10 points or less.

Despite not getting good wins to end the regular season, the Huskies continued to win with the best passing offense in the country.

Led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr., Washington leads the nation in passing yards (350.0) and has two wide receivers who have exceeded 1,000 points in Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk.

Their offensive line was voted the Joe Moore Award winner as the nation's top group and Penix was sacked only 11 times this season, which was tied for fourth fewest in the country.

"The most important thing will be our defense because Michigan can really win after getting after the quarterback," Washington veteran Warren Moon told Fox News Digital. “But we have what was voted the best offensive line in the country, so I think that works in our favor as well.”

“If we can block them down front and handle the pressure they bring, I think we'll do pretty well in the secondary in terms of throwing the football because we have three really talented receivers. Two of them. [Have] over 1,000 yards. They're all good after the catch, and they give up very few balls. And we have a very underrated tight end in Jack Westover."

The Huskies would face a Michigan defense that allowed the fewest points (9.5) and second fewest yards (239.7) in the country to quarterbacks.

On the tight end, the Michigan secondary allows only 152.6 passing yards per game, but it will face its toughest challenge of the season in Washington's offense.

Fox Sports analyst Brock Huard told the Associated Press, "Michigan is elite defensively, but they've had a chance to enjoy terrible, terrible offenses in the Big Ten." "So from a stress test, Michigan hasn't seen anything like Washington's offense."

Michigan Wolverines: 14-0

The calling card for Michigan all season has been its defense, which has held opponents down all year.

The offense is often overlooked due to the strength of the defense, but the matchup with Washington could give Michigan's offense time to shine.

The Wolverines want to run the football and will attempt to do so against a Washington defense that allows 138.8 yards per game. Washington allows 4.40 yards per carry – 86th in the country – according to the AP.

Senior running back Blake Corum had a stellar performance against Alabama in the semifinals, gaining 118 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns. He leads the nation with 26 rushing touchdowns.

"I feel like he's the most valuable player on our team in my eyes. There are a lot of guys that fit his caliber, but especially from an offensive standpoint, I feel like he's one of those guys." One who makes our team." Run the offense," quarterback J.J. McCarthy said last week, according to Fox Sports. "Just everything he's been through, all the adversity he's been through, from his upbringing to last year, who he And his character, how he attacks every day, everything about it, it impacts all of us."

"[He's] one of the most valuable players on our team – if not the most."

McCarthy went on a career-defining drive late against the Crimson Tide, converting a crucial fourth down in Alabama territory to send the game into overtime. He is 25-1 since taking over as the starter in 2022 and will face a Washington defense that allows 263.2 passing yards per game.

Jim Harbaugh told media members after defeating Alabama, "I've said it before, but right here, this is the greatest quarterback in college football history at the University of Michigan." , which is a goat."

"But there's no one better than J.J. at Michigan in his college career. I know we're talking about integration of a quarterback. He's the same guy."