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CFP Championship: Washington Huskies vs. Michigan Wolverines – a Thrilling Showdown

Monday, January 8, 2024 at 1:40 PM
Written by Anthony L. Hall

This is a game where metrics meet sentiments and sibling rivalry adds spice.Huskies vs. Wolverines – a thrilling showdown

Tonight’s NCAA football championship should be a thriller. On one side are the Michigan Wolverines. This team, like a sledgehammer in cleats, is ready to bludgeon its way to victory. It is the betting favorite, and why not? Michigan’s metrics are through the roof. 

But on the other side are the Washington Huskies. This team is the underdog. But its bite is so deadly that most experts pick it to win. 

Therefore, this is no David vs. Goliath battle. It’s more like King Kong vs. Godzilla.

My pick

My interest in this game, however, is purely sentimental. I don’t care which team enjoys the thrill of victory or suffers the agony of defeat. It’s about the story behind the game that is drawing my interest. 

Consider last year’s Super Bowl, for example. My sole interest then was celebrating the first-time matchup of two Black quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

No, I couldn’t care less that it also featured a sibling rivalry between Travis Kelce (34), tight end for the Chiefs, and his big brother Jason (36), center for the Eagles. Indeed, I made clear my resentment in real-time: Media coverage of their storyline was overshadowing coverage of the two Black quarterbacks.

Michigan celebrating berth to CFP championshp with Washington celebrating the same and cartoon of Harbaugh brothers inset.

Thus, for sentimental reasons, I’d like to see Michigan win. But, ironically, that’s only because I’d like to see the sibling rivalry between its coach, Jim Harbaugh (59), and his big brother, John (61), play out.

The Harbaugh sibling rivalry 

You see, John is the coach of the Baltimore Ravens. They seem bound for this year’s Super Bowl. 

So, if Jim leads Michigan to the CFP championship tonight, the pressure on John to lead Baltimore to the NFL championship would be the biggest sports story in America. That’s why this game isn’t just a championship; it’s a prelude to a possible Harbaugh family showdown. 

Harbaugh family bragging rights 

I’m sure these blood brothers would relish each winning their respective championship. But sibling rivalry was prevalent in my family. So, I shudder to think of the brotherly ribbing that will play out if one wins a championship and the other does not. Hell, having bragging rights in the Harbaugh family might be more satisfying than holding the championship trophy. 

As the Wolverines and Huskies clash tonight, remember, this game is more than a battle for a title; it’s a catalyst for another. A win for the Wolverines isn’t just their victory; it’s a gauntlet thrown at the feet of the Ravens. 

 

UPDATE

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 6:23 AM

Michigan Defeats Washington for CFP Championship – Vindicating My Sentiments

Hail to the victors of Michigan.

Nobody has it better than the Wolverines, as Michigan beat the Washington Huskies, 34-13, in the College Football Playoff national championship game to win their first title since 1997. …

Despite two suspensions from recruiting violations and a sign-stealing scandal, Jim Harbaugh captured his first national championship as head coach of the Wolverines and the first 15-0 season in the team’s long history.

(USA Today, January 8, 2024)

Michigan celebrate CFB championship.

So, here’s to Jim’s big brother John and his Baltimore Ravens meeting the challenge I laid out above for the Harbaugh family rivalry.