On New Year’s Day, both the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl were played. The winners of these two college football games will now go on to play the College Football Playoff National Championship game this coming Monday, January 8, at NRG Stadium in Houston. Big Ten Champions and winner of the Rose Bowl the University of Michigan Wolverines will face off against the Sugar Bowl winner and Pac-12 champions University of Washington Huskies.
The Michigan Wolverines had a dramatic football season, after getting caught in a sign-stealing cheating scandal (does the Patriots’ “Spygate” come to mind??). The scandal ended in two members of the Wolverines coaching staff getting fired and the head coach Jim Harbaugh serving a 3-game suspension. In the end, the Wolverines are still ranked #1 in the country by the Associated Press and have an overall record of 14-0. They won the Rose Bowl in overtime against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, 27-20.
The Washington Huskies, ranked #2 overall, also have an undefeated season of 14-0. They barely escaped the University of Texas Longhorns, winning the Sugar Bowl 37-31. The Huskies used their position as the underdog to steal the win! Unfortunately, their running back Dillon Johnson, who scored two touchdowns during the Sugar Bowl, “aggravate[d] a foot injury on UW’s final offensive play,” per the Seattle Times. Watching the game, it was clear Johnson was in serious pain. He was carted off with seconds to go in the game. Johnson’s X-ray results came back negative and offensive coach Ryan Grubb said that he is expected to play on Monday. If he can’t play, the Huskies will lose a valuable player.
It has been a while since the Wolverines and the Huskies have held the championship title. For the Wolverines, it was 1997. Washington last won the title in 1991. As of press time, Michigan is favored to win over Washington. You can catch the game on ESPN or ESPN+ on January 8th, at 7:30 PM.
Best of luck to both teams!
Mark W Dixon • Jan 5, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Me neither. Who knew Tom Brady’s old college team was so similar to his old pro team at stealing signs…
Chele Berner • Jan 5, 2024 at 10:56 am
Another great article! I had no idea about the sign stealing incident…