It will be the end of an era in many ways when the final horn sounds Monday in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game that features a matchup of undefeated conference champions with the Michigan Wolverines meeting the Washington Huskies. The anticipated showdown between the No. 1-seeded Wolverines (14-0) and No. 2-seeded Huskies (14-0) will close out the 10-year era of the four-team playoff before it expands to 12 teams starting next season. What's more, one of the programs is guaranteed to end a championship dry spell that has lasted at least 26 years. The Wolverines seek their first national championship since 1997, while the Huskies haven't raised the banner since 1991.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston. The Wolverines are 5-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 55.5 in the latest Washington vs. Michigan odds via SportsLine consensus. Michigan is the -215 favorite on the money line (risk $215 to win $100). Before making any Michigan vs. Washington picks, you need to see which side Tom Fornelli is backing, given his track record of strong picks in games involving Huskies.
A CBS Sports writer since 2010, the entertaining Fornelli is best known for his college football expertise. He co-hosts the popular Cover 3 Podcast and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ. You'll get maximum access to Fornelli's picks only on SportsLine. What's more, he has shown a particularly sharp eye for the trajectory of the Huskies. In fact, Fornelli has gone 12-2 in his last 14 college football picks involving Washington, netting his followers a profit of nearly $1,000. Anyone who has followed him has seen profitable returns.
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. Here are several college football odds and trends for Michigan vs. Washington:
- Washington vs. Michigan spread: Wolverines -5
- Washington vs. Michigan over/under: 55.5 points
- Washington vs. Michigan money line: Wolverines -215, Huskies +177
- WASH: The Huskies are 4-2 ATS in their last six games
- MICH: The Wolverines are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games
- Washington vs. Michigan: See picks at SportsLine
- Washington vs. Michigan live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Michigan can cover
If the Wolverines win the CFP title on Monday night, their defense will arguably go down as the best in the four-team playoff era. That's saying something, considering Georgia's back-to-back championship clubs were built on defensive units that sent multiple players to the first round of the NFL Draft, along with multiple Clemson and Alabama clubs that also used stifling defense to earn a national championship.
Even so, the numbers are difficult to argue with. The Wolverines allow just 9.2 points per game, a scoring average that is the best in the CFP era. They also rank in the top 10 in just about every statistical category and metric. Moreover, their six sacks and 10 tackles for loss against Alabama were both season highs against the Crimson Tide.
Michigan's defensive line is so deep that star tackle Kris Jenkins was on the sideline for the decisive play that saw the Wolverines swarm Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on his fourth-down rush in overtime to seal the victory.
"We preach that we play defense as one cohesive unit. It's not just one star, everybody's going to eat if we handle our business and do our jobs," Jenkins said. See which team to pick here.
Why Washington can cover
Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze and the rest Washington's high-flying offense gets much of the attention, but the Huskies appear to have an edge in the third phase of the game. The Cougars feature one of top special teams units in the country that includes a kicker who is getting hot at just the right time. Kicker Grady Gross has nailed all 62 of his extra-point attempts this season and has made all eight of his field goals since the regular season ended.
With the game on the line against rival Washington State in the regular-season finale, Gross shrugged off a previous miss and connected on a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Huskies a 24-21 victory. Later, the former walk-on was memorably awarded a scholarship by coach Kalen DeBoer in the locker room in a celebratory moment that later went viral. Gross has made six of his seven field goals from 40-plus yards this season and hasn't missed from inside 30 yards.
What's more, punter Jack McCallister has been reliable as well, with a solid net average of 40.5 yards. In a field-position battle at Oregon State in inclement weather, he dropped the Beavers inside the 20-yard four times while averaging 44 yards per punt. See which team to pick here.
How to make Washington vs. Michigan picks
Fornelli has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Over 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.
Who wins Washington vs. Michigan, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Michigan vs. Washington spread hits, all from the expert on a 12-2 run on spread picks in games involving the Huskies, and find out.
