College Football Betting Preview: National Championship - Michigan Wolverines vs. Washington Huskies

January 8, 2024

The 2024 National Championship Game will take place on Monday night when the 2^nd-ranked Washington Huskies face the #1-ranked Michigan Wolverines in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium with the game kicking off at 7:30 PM ET and will air on ESPN.

The Washington Huskies made it to the National Championship game undefeated with a record of 14-0 while winning the regular season and Pac-12 Championship game. The Huskies defeated the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Semifinals by a score of 37-31. Washington had one of the best passing offenses in college football this season and was one of the highest-scoring teams as they enter this game averaging 37.64 points per game which ranks 10^th in college football while averaging the 2^nd most passing yards per game with an average of 344.71 passing yards per game.

Michael Penix Jr. played a pivotal role in the success of the passing offense for the Huskies and enters this game having completed 336 of 504 attempts for 4,648 yards with 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Huskies had two 1,000-yard receivers as Rome Odunze enters this game with 87 receptions for 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns while Ja’Lynn Polk enters this game with 1,1227 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Huskies were an above-average scoring defense this season as they enter this game allowing an average of 24.14 points per game, however, they allowed the 10^th most passing yards per game with an average of 257.36 passing yards allowed per game. The Washington Huskies will look to end the season undefeated and win the National Championship when they face the Michigan Wolverines.

The Michigan Wolverines finished the regular season undefeated with a record of 12-0 while winning the Big Ten regular season championship and then defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship game by a score of 26-0 before defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl on Monday by a score of 27-20 in overtime to improve to 14-0 on the year.

The Wolverines will be looking to win their first National Championship since the 1997 season and will rely on the best scoring defense in college football this season as they are allowing an average of 10.21 points per game and have allowed the fewest passing yards per game with an average of 130.21 passing yards per game.

Michigan also featured one of the best scoring offenses in college football this season as they are averaging 36 points per game which ranks 14^th in the nation. Blake Corum has been one of the best running backs in college football over the previous three seasons and leads the team in rushing this year with 1,111 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns and broke Anthony Thomas’s all-time rushing touchdown record in school history in the win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

The Michigan Wolverines will look to finish the season 15-0 and win their first National Championship since they split the championship with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1997 when they play the Washington Huskies in Houston, Texas on Monday night.

BookMaker has the Michigan Wolverines listed as 4.5-point favorites in the 2024 National Championship game against the Washington Huskies on Monday night. Michigan has won two of the three games all-time while Washington is 2-1 ATS all-time in the series. The Washington Huskies are 7-6-1 ATS overall and 3-0 ATS as an underdog while the Michigan Wolverines are 8-5-1 ATS overall and 8-5-1 ATS as a favorite on the year.

The Michigan Wolverines match up well with the Washington Huskies as they feature the best pass defense in college football and are allowing the fewest points per game in the nation. The Huskies have been solid on defense, however, they have a suspect secondary and one that I look for J.J. McCarthy and the passing offense for the Wolverines to take advantage of.

I am buying the .5 point and laying the points with the Michigan Wolverines when they face the Washington Huskies in the 2024 National Championship game on Monday night.

Spooky Express Pick: Michigan Wolverines -4

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