Washington represents the Pac-12, is 14-0, and outlasted Texas 37-31 to reach the finals. Meanwhile, Big Ten champion Michigan needed some Blake Corum heroics and overtime to outlast a pesky Alabama side to play for the national title.
Please join me as I break this one down and share my best bets for Monday’s CFP National Championship between Washington and Michigan on Monday, January 8.
Washington vs. Michigan Best Bets
Monday’s national championship between the nation’s lone unbeaten teams should be awesome to watch.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was a Heisman candidate for much of the season, led the nation in passing yards with 35 scoring strikes against nine interceptions. He threw for 430 yards with a pair of scoring strikes against Texas and has thrown for 300+ ten times this season.
Michigan has a tremendous defense and the second-best passing defense nationally. They have over twice as many interceptions (16) as passing touchdowns allowed but have allowed eight passing plays of over 40 yards, which could be problematic for the Maize and Blue.
The problem Michigan will have with Penix and the Huskies’ passing game is that no matter what situation Washington finds itself in, Penix will fire the ball downfield. The Huskies boast 27 passing plays of 40+ yards, and that type of explosive offense won’t be easy for Michigan to keep up with.
Michigan doesn’t score points the same way Washington does. They rush the football behind a stout offensive line and grind the clock with running back Blake Corum doing most of the heavy lifting.
Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy has thrown multiple scoring strikes in seven games, including three against Alabama. Still, he’s also had six games where he boasted fewer than 200 passing yards with four games without a TD pass.
Washington will cover the +5.5 against the vaunted Michigan defense on Monday night.
The Huskies are 14-0 in a high-scoring conference and win games by out-scoring their opponents. Washington has a better defense than most give them credit for and allows an average of 24 points against high-powered offenses like USC, Oregon, and Arizona. The Wolverines’ offense is tough, but the Huskies’ defense won’t be swayed by anything Michigan throws at them.
Finally, I believe Michigan will win this game, but covering the -4.5 isn’t likely to happen. Washington averaged 35.7 points per game against the 12 FBS power-5 opponents on its schedule with an offense that produced more big passing plays than anyone against a Michigan defense highly susceptible to the big play. Take Washington to cover the +5.5 on Monday at FanDuel Arizona.
For more Arizona sports betting tips, check us out at Betting AZ.
