As Canadian supergroup Rush pithily stated in Tom Sawyer, ‘He knows changes aren’t permanent, but change is.’ So it is that amid the sweeping changes about to overtake the college sports landscape, we nevertheless have a football championship to decide. That decision day has arrived.
We should enjoy the final game of the season for what it is, a head-to-head contest between the nation’s last undefeated teams that will determine a true and undisputed champion. But one can’t help but observe that it’s more than a little ironic that it took the sport more than a century to reach this point only for the mechanisms to be altered as the entire infrastructure of the sport is remade.
But never mind all that. Let’s get to the game.
How to watch CFP championship game
The game will be televised on ESPN with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call; Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath on the sideline, and Bill Lemonnier as rules analyst. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from NRG Stadium in Houston.
Additionally, ESPN will offer a variety of alternative broadcasts on its other channels: Field pass with ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ (ESPN2), Command Center (ESPNU), Skycast (ESPNews), Spanish language (ESPN Deportes).
CFP championship game: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 Washington
Part of the aforementioned irony stems from the fact that by coincidence, the last time both schools claimed the title it was shared – Michigan’s with Nebraska in 1997 and Washington’s with Miami in 1991. Of course there will be no splitting of this title, which will be a first for either program in the BCS/playoff era.
The marquee matchup pits the Wolverines’ lights-out defense, statistically the stingiest in the nation, against the high-powered Huskies’ aerial attack, the most productive passing game in the Bowl Subdivision putting up 350 yards a game. We got a good look at the kind of creative blitz packages Michigan can unleash in last week’s Rose Bowl semifinal win against Alabama, but Washington QB Michael Penix might be more difficult to rattle. He has mastered the team’s complex offensive scheme, making use of a variety of targets. Outside threats Rome Odunze and Ja-Lynn Polk get most of the attention, but Jalen McMillan and TE Jack Westover are equally important to sustaining drives. Huskies’ RB Dillon Johnson, already playing through a foot injury that he appeared to aggravate late in the Sugar Bowl win against Texas, is expected to play, though finding real estate on the ground against the likes of Wolverines’ LBs Junior Colson and Michael Barrett would be difficult enough even if he were at full speed.
The other side of the ball is just as vital, however, as the Wolverines figure to use their potent ground game to control the clock and keep Penix and Co. off the field. RB Blake Corum leads the country with 25 rushing TDs and added his first receiving score of the campaign last week. Keeping him in check will be the top priority for LB Edefuan Ulofoshio and the rest of the Huskies’ front. SS Dominique Hampton might have to provide backup for them, which could create openings for Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and WR Roman Wilson to exploit through the air.
