The Washington football team will be playing for their first title since 1991 when they meet the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 8 inside NRG Stadium in Houston, TX. Back in 1991, however, they split with the Miami Hurricanes. This time, there'll be no splits.
Washington (14-0) has been the surprise of all of college football this season, continuing an impressive 21-game run that dates back to Oct. 15 of last year. It was in the 2022 season when head coach Kalen DeBoer took over the program that had previously won just seven games in the two seasons before.
Perhaps that's why the Huskies all season long were doubted and left to be underdogs in games like against Oregon State on the road or in their rematch against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Either way, Washington football prevailed in both of those games and all the rest on their schedule when pundits and oddsmakers said they shouldn't have, and now they're playing for the CFP national championship against Michigan (14-0).
But can this team do the unthinkable one more time and find themselves hosting the last and final trophy of the 2023 season, beating a Michigan football team that has likewise fought their own set of doubters this year? Let's get into some Washington football CFP national championship bold predictions.
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Michael Penix Jr. throws for 260 yards, two touchdowns, one interception
At this point, it's hard to put any sort of doubt on Penix, who continues to outdo himself, especially the bigger the game gets. He did it in the first meeting against Oregon, and he did it in the rematch in the Pac-12 title game, and then he did it in the Sugar Bowl against Texas.
Against the Longhorns, he threw for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions and finished with the highest graded offensive performance in a bowl game, per PFF. Will he do that against Michigan's impressive defense? It's unlikely, but again, we've doubted Penix leading up to this, so we shouldn't doubt him too much.
Penix has actually faced Michigan while he was still playing for Indiana back in 2020. Granted, that wasn't quite the Michigan team of today, and it was during the pandemic-affected season, but Penix helped No. 13 Indiana beat No. 23 Michigan 38-21. He went 30-for-50, throwing for 352 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
In the Rose Bowl, Michigan's defense held Alabama to just 288 yards of offense. Even though this is a much more prolific offense with Washington, remember, this was a team that was built to beat Ohio State the past three years, who was known for throwing the ball down the field. Penix will still be good, just not 300 or 400 yards good.
Dillon Johnson gets held to under 50 yards rushing, no touchdowns
The Washington running back was taken out of the game after suffering what seemed like a significant leg injury in the Sugar Bowl, that likewise almost caused the whole Huskies team to collapse, allowing Texas another chance to come back and win.
Johnson is said to be playing in Monday's CFP national championship game, but just how healthy is he? Plus, he'll be going up against the No. 8 ranked rushing defense in the country that's holding teams to an average of 93.1 yards per game, allowing only nine rushing touchdowns all season.
Johnson only had 49 yards on 21 carries against Texas' defense, but he did have two scores.
Washington football's Joe Moore award-winning offensive line allows three sacks
Penix has been one of the best-protected quarterbacks in the country this season. And it shows by his offensive line only allowing 10 total sacks all season, which is why they won the Joe Moore award. Facing Texas defensive front was one challenge, but now Michigan will be another. The Michigan front has a sack percentage of 9.48%, which ranks 6th in the country, according to Team Rankings. The Wolverines will find Penix on Monday night a few times.
Washington loses to Michigan 23-20 in the CFP national championship
I'm probably wrong for picking against Washington, but I just feel this Michigan team has a destiny to them, especially considering all the controversy that has followed them. This game is a strength-versus-strength matchup, with Washington's high-powered offense versus Michigan's stiff defense. That means the battle in the trenches will paramount, which ultimately I believe Michigan will win in the end. But I'd expect Washington to keep it close until the end, and scoring just enough to keep it interesting.
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