On Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, the Washington Huskies played head-to-head against the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football National Championship game. In the end, the Big Ten team, the Michigan Wolverines took home the win with a final score of 34-13, being Michigan’s first unshared title since 1997 against Nebraska.
As a self-identified Michigan fan, Freshman Kerri Alson said, “I think the Michigan-Washington game was a very exciting game. I’m happy that Michigan won, and it is well deserved.”
The Huskies have seemingly had the best offense in the 2023-2024 season, with their star quarterback Micheal Penix Jr. hitting some of the best wide receivers in the league, such as Jalen McMillian and Rome Odunze. However, this wasn’t enough to stop Michigan’s top-notch defense, including Will Johnson and Mike Sainristill. Michigan’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh, along with offensive coordinator, Sherrone Moore, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter who plays a significant role in Michigan’s play style. The tactical strategy of running the ball and trick plays fooled the Huskies defense, leading the Wolverines to success.
Despite the photos showing what seems like a perfect road to victory for the Wolverines, there were some bumps and controversy along the way. During this season, Harbaugh missed six regular season games while he served two suspensions. One suspension, from recruiting violations, and the other an investigation from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), accusing him of sign stealing. Harbaugh then continued to miss the final three games of the regular season, including important matches like the famous Ohio State rivalry.
Another controversial topic from this match up was between the teams who did and did not make playoffs. Texas and Alabama were the teams who did not qualify for the playoffs. University of Georgia (UGA) fans can’t help but wonder how the playoffs would be different if UGA hadn’t lost to Alabama in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 2. Going into the playoff season, many college football fans believed that Georgia would be returning and win the Championship game for a third year in a row.
Senior Ari Pais said, “I think Georgia would have beat both teams by 70 points.”
According to Roswell’s football coach, Coach Reynolds, said, “I think it was great for the last four-team playoffs to see two non-southern teams in it.”
In the previous years, the college football playoffs have been dominated by teams from the southern division, the Southeast Conference, with occasional teams from the Big 10 such as Michigan and Ohio State. That will change drastically next year, with big teams from the west and east side joining the Big 10. While many are excited for the new additions, many people along with Coach Reynold’s also said, “Next year I think it’s going to be very challenging for west coast and Yankee teams to win a championship.”
Hardships and all, both teams deserved their spot in the Championship. The game was hard fought at both ends, however, Michigan continuously had the lead and pulled away in the fourth quarter, thanks to the offensive line.
