Michigan vs Washington player props: Picking McCarthy, Corum and Odunze's lines

The stage is set and the only thing left to do is play the game. NRG Stadium plays host to a showdown of undefeated squads, Michigan and Washington, in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. Both teams have battled adversity this year but talent prevailed to get them to the big dance.

The final game of the 2023/24 college football season is set to kick off at 7:45 p.m. CT from Houston, Texas. ESPN will carry the national broadcast with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, lists the Wolverines as 4.5-point favorites with an over/under of 56.5.

Let's take a closer look at the odds, and highlight some picks and player props for the College Football Playoff National Championship:

Michigan Wolverines (14-0) vs. Washington Huskies (14-0)

Kickoff: Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:45 p.m. CT (ESPN)

Point spread (from Caesars): Michigan -4.5

Over/under: 56.5

Moneyline: Michigan -205, Washington +170

PLAYER PROP PICKS

J.J. McCarthy OVER 196.5 passing yards (-119 at Caesars Sportsbook)

J.J. McCarthy isn't a "light the world on fire" type of quarterback, nor has he been asked to be this season. He's thrown for 250+ yards in just four games this season, but perhaps more importantly, he's undefeated as Michigan's starter. While a sudden over-reliance on the signal caller got him into some trouble during last year's College Football Playoff, he stepped up to the challenge during the Rose Bowl win over Alabama.

McCarthy — who has become the face of the "Michigan vs. Everybody" campaign — has shown the world he's ready to perform under pressure. He went for 221 yards against the Crimson Tide on Monday, and he now comes up against a Washington defense that surrenders 263 passing yards per game through the air. Thus, a 196.5-yard line is a bit low, in my opinion, so I'll take the over. 

Blake Corum UNDER 106.5 rushing yards (-109 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Once bitten, twice shy. I fell into this trap before in the Pac-12 Championship Game and I won't be tricked again. The Huskies' defense looks vulnerable (to put it nicely) on paper, especially on the ground. Opponents are racking up nearly 200 rushing yards per game against Washington this season, so it should be happy hunting for one of the best running backs in the country, right?

Well, not exactly. 107 rushing yards by one individual is a lot. Corum has reached that mark just once this season against Penn State when he had 26 carries for 145 yards, and even that number was a bit inflated by one of his longest runs of the season (44 yards).

I was confident in taking Oregon running back Bucky Irving's prop of over 91.5 yards against the Huskies and he finished with 20 yards on nine carries. I believe Corum will have a lot more success than Irving did against this same defense, but I don't think he goes over in his rushing prop versus Washington.

Rome Odunze OVER 89.5 receiving yards (-115 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Simply put, Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze is a machine. It doesn't matter who the future first-round pick lines up against, he's going to get his throughout the course of the game. Odunze's worst game this season saw him bring down five catches for 64 yards.

He has gone over 100 yards in 10 of the Huskies' 14 games this season, including the last five against Utah, Oregon State, Washington State, Oregon and Texas. The best receiver that Michigan faced this season, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., tallied 118 yards against the Wolverines, so Odunze should have no trouble reaching 90, especially in the biggest game of his career to date.