PASADENA, Calif. -- Start counting those ballots. There's nothing left to prove, as far as Michigan is concerned.

With a close but clear victory in the Rose Bowl, the No. 1 Wolverines are set to claim their first national title in half a century early Saturday when The Associated Press' final poll is released.

Brian Griese turned in an MVP performance at quarterback for the Wolverines. (Reuters)

"I have no doubt that we should be the national champion," said Brian Griese, who threw three touchdown passes in Michigan's 21-16 victory Thursday over No. 8 Washington State. "We played the toughest schedule in the country by far. To come to the Rose Bowl and play a very tough Washington State team ... .

"I ask you: Is there anything else you want us to do?"

NO, JUST SIT BACK and watch No. 2 Nebraska play No. 3 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Friday and enjoy Tom Osborne's final game as the Cornhuskers' coach.

Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, who intercepted a Ryan Leaf pass in the end zone to save the Wolverines from falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter, won't bother tuning in.

"There's no doubt about it. Don't even watch the game tomorrow," said Woodson, who also ran eight yards for a crucial first down in the fourth quarter.

Every top-ranked team that won its bowl game has been the national champion.

But the Wolverines' victory was anything but easy.

THEY TRAILED 7-0 EARLY AND 13-7 IN THE third quarter, and Washington State still had a chance to win on the last play of the game, which ended in confusion as Leaf tried to spike the ball on the Michigan 26 with two seconds left. But by the time the play ended, the clock had run out and the Wolverines rushed onto the field to celebrate.

The Cougars stood stunned on the sideline as the Wolverines gathered at the 20-yard line to receive the Rose Bowl trophy.

Woodson even took a Rose Bowl victory lap, slapping hands with fans in the front rows. Once again, he had come up big in a big game.

"I take pride in that, trying to come out in the last game of the season when we had a chance for it all," said Woodson, who'll wait until next week to announce whether he'll pass up his final season for the NFL. "It wasn't just me out there today, it was a whole bunch of guys. We did it, baby."

ENTERING THE GAME, MICHIGAN HAD A commanding lead over Nebraska in the AP poll, 69-1 in first-place votes. In the coaches' poll, Michigan led Nebraska in first-place votes 531/2-81/2.

The Wolverines celebrate Jerame Tuman's game-winning touchdown. (AP)

The Wolverines (12-0) should stay on top thanks to Griese, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese. He had TD passes of 53 and 58 yards to Tai Streets, and 23 yards to Jerame Tuman early in the fourth quarter. After throwing an interception on Michigan's first series, the fifth-year walk-on completed 18 of 30 passes for 251 yards.

"I have one vote in the coaches' poll and the writers will speak with their vote," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "It would be tremendously disappointing (not to remain No. 1), but it's not something that's in my control."

WASHINGTON STATE COACH MIKE PRICE said: "They made plays when they had to and that's a sign of a national champion. Michigan is No. 1; they are getting my vote."

Michigan is set to give the Big Ten its first national title since Ohio State in 1968. The game also marked the end of a 52-year tradition matching the Big Ten and Pac-10 conference champions. Next year, the Rose Bowl becomes part of a four-bowl alliance.

In front of a crowd of 101,219 -- half in Cougars' crimson and gray, the other half in the Wolverines' maize and blue -- Griese stole the spotlight from Leaf, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy race and completed 17 of 35 passes for 331 yards, one TD and an interception.

"This was a great game for us," said Leaf, who was sacked four times, "but we came up short."

Washington State played most of the game without 1,000-yard rusher Michael Black, who left late in the first quarter with a bruised right calf. He returned only for one play in the fourth quarter, and was stopped for no gain.

AFTER A 7-7 STANDOFF OVER THE FIRST 30 minutes, the Cougars took a 13-7 lead on a 14-yard reverse for a TD by Shawn Tims with 8:33 left in the third quarter. Rian Lindell's extra point attempt was blocked by James Hall.

The Wolverines came right back and took the lead for good as Griese, who hit Streets with the 53-yard TD pass in the second quarter, connected with him again, this time for 58 yards. Streets hauled in Griese's pass at the 7-yard line and scored with 5:07 left in the third, leaving defender Dee Moronkola in his wake, pounding the ground in frustration. Kraig Baker's extra point gave Michigan a 14-13 lead.

The Cougars, who entered the game averaging 42.5 points per game, were unable to respond against the nation's top-ranked defense.

Michigan's offense, though, took control in the fourth quarter, moving 77 yards on 14 plays, capped by Griese's 23-yard TD pass to a wide-open Tuman.

LINDELL KICKED A 48-YARD FIELD GOAL with 7:25 left to pull the Cougars within 21-16, But Michigan held the ball for nearly seven minutes before Jay Feely's 23-yard punt to the Cougars 7 with 29 seconds left.

With no timeouts, Leaf connected with Nian Taylor for 46 yards -- a play on which Taylor appeared to push off Woodson. After a 5-yard penalty against the Cougars, Leaf hit Love Jefferson, who lateraled to Jason Clayton and the play went to the Michigan 26.

But Leaf ran out of time and the Wolverines had their first perfect season since they won the title in '48.

"It's frustrating standing on the sideline," Leaf said. "It's tough to go 80 yards in 30 seconds."

In the first half, the Cougars' defense looked more like the Wolverines', shutting down Michigan's running game. But Griese was still completing passes more consistently than Leaf, who had six balls dropped.

GRIESE OVERCAME AN INTERCEPTION by Lamont Thompson on the Wolverines' first series and tied the game at 7 with his 53-yard hookup with Streets, who beat cornerback Ray Jackson with 7:08 left in the half.

Leaf, meanwhile, survived two early blitzes from Woodson and came back on the Cougars' second series to throw a 15-yard TD pass to Kevin McKenzie.

Leaf had the Cougars poised to score again, completing passes of 22 yards to Shawn McWashington and 35 yards to Chris Jackson down to the Michigan 14. But two plays later, Woodson stepped in front of McKenzie in the left corner of the end zone and pulled in his eighth interception of the season.

Coming off four straight four-loss seasons, the Wolverines were an unlikely No. 1 choice when the season began. In fact, Carr's job reportedly was in jeopardy if the Wolverines weren't able to turn things around.

CARR CHALLENGED HIS TEAM BEFORE THE SEASON by using the best seller Into Thin Air, a nonfiction account of an ill-fated ascent of Mount Everest, as a metaphor for the season.

A strong season-opening 27-3 win over Colorado moved Michigan into the Top 10, and the Wolverines' defense took over. Through the first eight games, Michigan did not allow a touchdown in the second half.

When Penn State scored one on Nov. 8, the Wolverines were already ahead by 34 points in their 34-8 win, which bumped them from No. 4 to No. 1 in the AP poll -- the first time in seven years the Wolverines were atop the rankings.

Two weeks later, Woodson came up with the game of a lifetime in a 20-14 win over bitter rival Ohio State. He returned a punt 78 yards for a TD, intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop a Buckeyes' scoring threat and caught a 37-yard pass to set up a TD.

IT GAVE MICHIGAN ITS FIRST PERFECT regular-season since 1971, sealed Woodson's Heisman Trophy and put the Wolverines in position for the school's second national title.

At the Rose Bowl, Michigan finally conquered their own Mount Everest - the national championship.