Michigan vs. Washington odds: 2024 CFP National Championship game picks, predictions by expert on 14-5 run
There will be a little familiarity when the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines take on the No. 2 Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday. The Wolverines beat the Huskies 31-10 in the most recent meeting in 2021, and Huskies quarterback Michael Penix led Indiana to a 38-21 victory over Michigan in 2020. Now, the top two seeds, both 14-0, will square off at NRG Stadium in Houston in the CFP title game. The Huskies beat Alabama 27-20 in overtime in Monday's Rose Bowl, while Washington held off Texas for a 37-21 victory in the Sugar Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The latest Washington vs. Michigan odds on the SportsLine consensus list the Wolverines as 4.5-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is set at 56.5. Before making any Michigan vs. Washington picks, you need to see whom Mike Tierney is picking, given his track record of strong picks in games involving the Wolverines.
Tierney, the veteran sportswriter whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, has covered college football of all levels for decades. In addition, Tierney has an excellent read on the Wolverines, going 14-5 on his past 19 college football picks against the spread in games involving Michigan. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Washington vs. Michigan and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several college football odds and trends for Michigan vs. Washington:
- Michigan vs. Washington spread: Wolverines -4.5
- Michigan vs. Washington over/under: 56.5 points
- Michigan vs. Washington money line: Wolverines -194, Huskies +160
- WASH: Is 6-2-1 ATS against ranked foes under coach Kalen DeBoer.
- MICH: Is 9-3 ATS in its past 12 matchups against ranked opponents.
- Michigan vs. Washington: See picks at SportsLine
- Michigan vs. Washington live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Michigan can cover
The Wolverines showed their grit in Monday's comeback, scoring the tying touchdown with 1:34 left. Running back Blake Corum scored the winning TD in overtime, his second score of the night. He finished with 83 yards on 19 carries and scored at least twice for the sixth straight game. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns, one to Corum. Receiver Roman Wilson had 73 yards on just four catches and scored the 4-yard TD to tie it.
The Michigan offense averages 36 points per game, while the Wolverines allow just 10.2 per contest. The Huskies defense is vulnerable to the pass, allowing 280 yards per game, fourth-most in the nation. McCarthy is second in FBS in completion percentage (72.1) and averages 9.1 yards per completion (13th). He threw four interceptions and 22 TDs. UM had six sacks Monday and is plus-17 in turnover margin, the best mark in FBS, while UW is plus-2. See which team to pick here.
Why Washington can cover
The Wolverines have won 21 consecutive games, the longest active streak in FBS. The past 10, however, have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and the Huskies are 7-6-1 against the spread this season. Penix, the Heisman runner-up, threw for 420 yards and two touchdowns Monday night and has 4,641 passing yards. The senior is the first quarterback since Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes in 2015-16 to top 4,500 yards in consecutive seasons.
Receivers Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk combined for 247 yards Monday, and Odunze has a school-record 1,553 yards this season. The duo combined for 22 touchdowns this season, and both averaged more than 17 yards per catch. Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer, who was Penix's offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2019, is 6-0 in his career against ranked teams on the road or on a neutral field. Defense is the Huskies' weakness, but UW had two takeaways Monday night. See which team to pick here.
How to make Washington vs. Michigan picks
Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
