Michigan vs Washington CFB Playoff Preview and Prediction January 8, 2024.
Posted 7 months ago | Betting Previews and Predictions, NCAAF | 1 comments
Michigan vs Washington January 8, 2024 @ Houston TX
Opening Betting Odds
Spread: Michigan -5, Washington +5
Moneyline: Michigan -180, Washington +165
Total: 55.5
Preview
Michigan scored late to force overtime in The Rose Bowl, going on to beat Alabama 27-20 and advance to the College Football Playoff Final.
Washington pulled away from Texas in the second half The Sugar Bowl, taking a double digit league into the fourth quarter. Texas would fall just short of a miraculous comeback, and the Huskies held on for a 37-31 win.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-38 passing. The performance had many scratching their heads, wondering how it is that Penix was snubbed for the Heisman Trophy.
The National Championship Game will feature the #1 ranked passing offense of the Huskies, versus the #1 ranked scoring defense of Michigan.
Michigan
- 14-0 Overall in 2023
- 9-0 in the BIG10 in 2023
- 8-5-1 ATS in 2023
Coming into this season Jim Harbaugh had a record of 5-16 versus teams ranked in the Top 10. Michigan won a pair of games against Top 10 teams this year (Penn State and Ohio State). Technically Harbaugh wasn’t on the sidelines for either of those wins.
Beating Nick Saban in a playoff game will go a long way in silencing his critics. He faces another tough coaching matchup versus Kalen Deboer (104-11 all time as a head coach).
Michigan comes in as the #1 seed, and Washington is the #2 seed. It’s the fourth time we’ve seen the top two seeds meet in the Final, but the #2 seed has won three straight versus the #2 seed.
Washington
- 14-0 Overall in 2023
- 9-0 in the PAC12 in 2023
- 7-6-1 ATS in 2023
The Huskies were underdogs in the PAC12 Championship Game versus Oregon, and they were underdogs in the Sugar Bowl versus Texas. This team just keeps defying the odds, winning games that the experts predicted they would lose.
Kalen Deboer and the Huskies have thrived in the roll of underdogs, and this will be by far the best offense Michigan has seen this season.
Michael Penix Jr. is the nation’s leader in passing yards (4,648), and he probably should have been the Heisman Trophy winner. He should give his team a chance to win this game.
Relevant Trends
- The Wolverines are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games.
- The Wolverines are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games against an opponent in the Pac-12 conference.
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Michigan’s last 10 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of Michigan’s last 16 games played in January.
- The Huskies are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games when playing as the underdog.
PREDICTION: MICHIGAN 31 – WASHINGTON 28
The Huskies might not be getting enough respect here, but while we expect it to be a close game we’ve got the Wolverines coming out on top in a high scoring game. The total might be a better bet than the side, as it seems unlikely that anyone is going to stop Michael Penix and his star studded receiving corps. That said, Michigan should have plenty of success running on this Washington defense. Both teams should do their share of scoring, but Michigan will come out on top by forcing a few turnovers.
One comment on “Michigan vs Washington CFB Playoff Preview and Prediction January 8, 2024.”
Washington showed us who they really are when they let Texas march down the field and come so close to stealing the game. They won’t be able to stop Michigan from running the ball all over them. Michigan wins 30-10…. easy money!