On January 1 the run for the College Football National Championship was set. This would be marking an end to the four team playoff bracket which began in 2014, seeing the Ohio State Buckeyes win it all that year.
The #1 Michigan Wolverines took down the then ranked #2 Ohio State and Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. The Wolverines were set to take on the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl who just came off of a huge win, upsetting then ranked #1 Georgia in the SEC Championship game.
This game would see a back and forth contest with Michigan and Alabama dealing blow after blow to each other through all four quarters. This game would be so tight during all sixty minutes that it would end up going into overtime, seeing the Wolverines victorious with a final score of 27-20. A stellar performance from Quarterback JJ McCarthy passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns to Roman Wilson, Tyler Morris, and Blake Corum who also had a rushing touchdown in the game.
After the Wolverines victory the next game would take place that same night at the Sugar Bowl. It would be a matchup between the #2 Washington Huskies, who beat a very stout Oregon team twice, and the #3 Texas Longhorns who defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide earlier in the season.
This matchup between the two very talented teams would be just as good as the Rose Bowl with both teams all the way to the bitter end. Texas Quarterback Quinn Ewers’ pass would get knocked down in the end zone resulting in a final score and a Huskies win of 37-31. Quarterback for the Washington Huskies Michael Penix Jr would have a performance to remember while leading his squad to victory passing for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
There were two national championships, which was the game every player, coach, and fan dreams of. It will see the Big Tens Michigan Wolverines and a future Big Ten team. For now, the Washington Huskies are representing the PAC-12 one final time in what will be the final game of the four team playoff era.
The game would start off hot for the Michigan Wolverines where it only looked like an actual game for a glimpse, but the Wolverines would never look back proving all of the doubters and haters wrong. Finally, winning Coach Jim Harbaugh that elusive national championship thanks to an amazing performance from the Wolverines defense. The biggest part that propelled them was the lethal back field of star Running Backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
Donovan Edwards would get the scoring and momentum started as he would finish with 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns and Blake Corum would have a game to remember in his last game in the maize and blue rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
