This Michigan team has had controversy. Head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for three games in the late stage of the season for sign stealing. Led by star RB Blake Corum, QB JJ McCarthy and a stellar defense, the Michigan Wolverines won “The Game” against Ohio State for the third year in a row. This booked their ticket to the Big 10 championship against Iowa. They cruised to an easy 26-0 victory facing the Hawkeyes, cementing their undefeated 13-0 season, their place in the College Football Playoffs, and, with the fall of the number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs, gained the one seed. 

Alabama, on the other hand, did not have such an easy road to the CFP. After losing by double digits at home to Texas, it seemed like a lost season, and the Crimson Tide did not respond well either. They edged out wins against far inferior teams like Texas A&M and Arkansas, as well as being tied 3-3 at halftime against South Florida (although they went on to win 17-3). Facing Tennessee, another ranked team, they won handedly, 34-20, hitting their stride as they rattled off dominant wins versus other top teams like LSU and Kentucky. Despite this, in the “Iron Bowl,” playing their biggest rivals 6-6 Auburn, they found themselves needing a last-second 4th and 31 TD pass from QB Jalen Milroe to win. The Crimson Tide then booked their place in the SEC Championship, playing the back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs, who had not lost a game in their last 29. ‘Bama won a close game, and the CFP committee controversially gave them the 4 seed over 13-0 Florida State.

Although The Blue have had an undefeated season without many problems, their strength of schedule is ranked 51st in the nation, with only two ranked wins against Ohio State and Penn State. On the flip side, the Crimson Tide had the 5th toughest strength of schedule. With the help of the greatest coach in CFB history who has extensive  playoff experience, Nick Saban, Alabama will beat Michigan 28-24 in the Rose Bowl. 

Coming into the season as Pac-12 underdogs, the Washington Huskies had to prove themselves the whole season. With coach Kalen DeBoer (who coached at USF), star QB and Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr. and standout WR Rome Odunze, Washington was a force to be reckoned with. Despite this, the Oregon Ducks were favored to win the Pac-12 over the Huskies. They met in October in Seattle, where the Huskies came in as underdogs. They beat the Ducks, setting up a highly-anticipated rematch against Oregon in the Pac-12 championship. Washington’s road to the Pac-12 championship was not easy, struggling to win against teams like Arizona State and Oregon State, and winning a nail-biter against their cross-state rivals Washington State in the Apple Cup. In each of these games, Penix and the offense as a whole did not play as well as they had been earlier in the season. In the Pac-12 championship, they came in as underdogs again, where they again faced the Oregon Ducks, whose only loss this season had come earlier in the year against the Huskies. They proved themselves again winning 34-31, clinching their spot in the CFP and capping off their 13-0 season in the last season of the Pac-12.

Texas, led by standout QB Quinn Ewers, WR AD Mitchell and head coach Steve Sarkisian came into the CFP as the third seed. Texas beat Alabama in week two of the season in Alabama by a score of 34-24. After cruising through the rest of the season, they only picked up one loss along the way in the Red River Rivalry against the Oklahoma Sooners. This landed them a spot in the Big 12 championship, where they beat 22-ranked Oklahoma State 49-21. 

This will also be a rematch of the 2022 Alamo Bowl, where Washington won by seven points. Sarkisian will be looking for revenge on his old team as he previously coached UW from 2009 to 2013. Although Texas has been strong all season, even beating Alabama, the Huskies’ offense is too high-powered, and they’ll win 31-21 in the Sugar Bowl, putting them in the National Championship.

This game will be very close. ‘Bama does not have the greatest offense this year with some underwhelming performances against teams like Auburn. At the same time, Washington’s offense has been superb, and RB Dillon Johnson will have a great game. This game depends also on how well Penix Jr. plays, but against a Nick Saban defense, he might struggle. Looking at his past, in clutch moments like both games against Oregon, he has shined. He will ultimately power the Huskies to victory in this game, 31-28.