SPONSOR NOTE. We need your help to keep our team. Last year, Champions Circle® launched the One More Year Fund to support key Michigan players like Blake Corum, Trevor Keegan, and Zak Zinter who elected to return to Michigan for One More Year. Now, we’re launching the Those Who Stay NIL Campaign. Our rivals are coming after many of our key players, trying to induce them to leave Michigan. It's time for the Michigan Family to show our players how much we appreciate them and want them back in Maize and Blue! To keep the momentum going, please contribute now. ESSENTIALS WHAT #1 Michigan (14-0) vs #2 Washington (14-0) WHERE Autograph: Rewarding Fans Stadium Houston, TX WHEN Monday 6:45 Central 7:45 Eastern THE LINE M –4.5 (Vegas) M –12.5 (Bill C) TELEVISION ESPN PBP: Chris Fowler Color: Kirk Herbstreit TICKETS from $1100 WEATHER no Overview Well, folks, here it is: Michigan is playing for the national championship. They've drawn a familiar foe in multiple ways: Washington played Michigan two years ago and several starters on both teams played in that game. One of the guys who didn't, starting QB Michael Penix, was playing for Indiana. The 2021 game was an explosion of offensive incompetence on Washington's part. Michigan, then very early in Cade McNamara's starting career, got out to a comfortable lead and then executed the Penn State forward-pass-has-been-banned gameplan to see the game out. To describe Washington's transformation since is to reach for superlatives. They fired Jimmy Lake, hired Kalen Deboer, imported Penix, surrounded him with excellent pass blockers and freaky wide receivers, and went straight to the moon… on one side of the ball. Washington enters this game 12th in SP+, sporting the #4 offense in the country and the #44 defense. By Bill Connelly's reckoning, the last time a team with a defense ranked outside of the top 30 in SP+ won a national title was Oklahoma. In 1950. The worst title-winning defense since was Auburn in 2010, when Cam Newton overcame SP+'s #27 D. You can see why when you look at Washington's season, which has been a non-stop rollercoaster of close games since late September. After beating Cal 59-32, Washington has not won a game by more than ten points. They finished the Pac-12 schedule with wins of 2, 3, and 3 over Oregon State, Washington State, and Oregon; they were trailing Arizona State 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter before an 89-yard pick-six pulled their butts out of the fire. They survived a couple of late shots at the endzone to beat Texas last Monday. Washington is a bonafide Team Of Destiny. Michigan isn't. It's merely very good at football. Let's get it on. [AFTER THE JUMP: the best passing offense in America]