Michigan, Washington advance to 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game
A pair of unbeatens will meet in the College Football Playoff National Championship, as No. 1 seed Michigan will take on No. 2 seed Washington in the Jan. 8 title game at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The 14-0 Wolverines beat Alabama, 23-20, in overtime at the Rose Bowl, and the 14-0 Huskies held off Texas, 37-31, in the Sugar Bowl on Monday. Michigan and Washington are each playing in their first championship game in the CFP era.
Here are three draft-focused takeaways on the national title matchup:
Here are three draft-focused takeaways on the national title matchup:
1) Quarterbacks take center stage
Neither team would be in the national title game without the clutch playmaking ability of their quarterbacks. And their styles are quite different.
Michigan's J.J. McCarthy is not a prototypical NFL Draft prospect, and as a junior he has eligibility remaining.
Evaluators are split on McCarthy's pro potential, but he possesses some intriguing traits. At 6-foot-3, 197 pounds, he's a lean, athletic passer who does his best work on the move. His accuracy is scattershot at times, but McCarthy has a knack for delivering in big moments, as he did in leading a late touchdown drive to force overtime against the Crimson Tide.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. finished second in the Heisman Trophy Award voting behind LSU’s Jayden Daniels. The 6-3, 218-pound lefty has thrown for 35 touchdowns, including two in the Sugar Bowl, along with 420 yards and no turnovers.
Penix is a deep-ball artist with pretty downfield accuracy when he has time to throw. He can generate some RPMs on his throws and is typically strong in the pocket, throwing with rhythm and accuracy, but those tend to wane the more Penix is asked to create. He's a good athlete who can
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