Michigan and Washington will meet Monday for the college football title. Who will win?

The College Football Playoff Final is finally here with the only two undefeated teams still standing facing off on Monday night. No. 1 Michigan is favored by 4½ points over No. 2 Washington. Neither has won a championship in a long time — Washington in 1991 and Michigan in 1997 — and while the Wolverines lead the nation in total wins (1,003), they only just returned to the national stage two years ago and lost both times in the semifinal.

The Huskies are explosive, averaging almost 38 points per game and it starts with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (4,648 passing yards and 35 touchdowns) and their all-everything receiver Rome Odunze (87 receptions and 1,563 yards). There’s also Ja’Lynn Polk (65 receptions and 1,122 yards) and Jalen McMillan (39 receptions for 526 yards). Top running back Dillon Johnson (222 rushing attempts for 1,162 yards), who was injured last week against Texas, says he's ready to "rock and roll." Their offensive line also protects Penix Jr., who has thrown the ball 504 times, yielding only 11 sacks in 14 games this season. So they should be firing on all cylinders.

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Michigan’s defense is special, however, yielding an average of just 9.5 points per game, the nation's best. Breaking that down further, their defense was second in passing yardage (152 yards per game) allowed and sixth in rushing (86 ypg). Their cornerbacks, Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil, who had five interceptions, are fast, quick and elite. Last week, they had six sacks and nine tackles for a loss against Alabama, yielding just 288 total yards, culminating with that fourth-down stop to secure a 27-20 overtime victory. But the Tide's offensive line has had problems all season and it was no surprise that Michigan controlled the line of scrimmage. Alabama's offense is also not as talented or imaginative as Washington's. It’s not a stretch to say their defense has been dominant, but they haven’t played an offense anything like Washington’s. Therefore, something's got to give.

Offensively, Michigan averages 36.7 points per game. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has good numbers (2,851 passing yards) and routinely did not play in many fourth quarters because the Wolverines were way ahead. But I remember the Penn State game when Michigan totally relied on its defense in the second half, not throwing a pass. What does that tell you? The Wolverines' heart and soul is running back Blake Corum (1,028 rushing yards), who scored the game-winner last week. Corum makes big plays at big times and is a reliable receiver out of the backfield.

Michigan should be able to move the ball against the Huskies' defense, which was just 54th in the country in scoring allowed and 97th in total defense yielding almost 24 ppg. Not very impressive, you say? Don’t read into it too much. Those are just statistics, many padded against inferior opponents.

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What about the coaches? Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is a winner everywhere he’s been (San Diego, Stanford, San Francisco 49ers and Michigan). We all know him by not only his accomplishments but also his statements. Of course, Harbaugh missed six games this year for two unrelated suspensions in what has to be described as a tumultuous season. In the face of all that, rumors continue to swirl of a new $100-million-plus contract extension being offered because of Michigan’s success on the field. But with several NFL vacancies, is Harbaugh looking for a different challenge. Can those issues which are constantly being asked about cause him to lose some focus?

For their part, Michigan's players are completely supportive of their coach, no matter what the circumstances, and perceive the suspensions as an "us-against-the-world" mentality. That all sounds great while you are winning. One loss and the blame game becomes front and center. As for Harbaugh's future, he stated, "Hope there's a tomorrow. Hope there's a day after tomorrow. I hope there's a next week, next month. I hope a next year."

Hope to have a future. Yeah, right.

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer started his head coaching at the University of Sioux Falls (an NAIA school) from 2005-2009, where his teams were undefeated and captured three national championships in five years.

His path to Washington included numerous assistant coaching jobs before finally landing a head coaching position at Fresno State, leading them to a 9-3 regular season in 2021 before taking the Washington job in 2022. Last year, the Huskies were 11-3. He's a diamond in the rough and and a big winner — a 104-11 head coaching record.

What impresses us most about him is his creativity and ability to make corrections on the fly. Tempo will be a major factor as the Huskies like a swift pace to feed their high-octane offense while Michigan prefers to control the ball, huddle up and burn clock. It’s worked for both teams.

So, what’s the most significant factor? Turnovers could play a role as they always might. But barring that, it simply comes down to competition or, in the case of Michigan, their lack of it. The Big Ten was was "down" again this year with the Wolverines not facing anyone of CFP consideration (51st in strength of schedule) until Ohio State in the final game.

Meanwhile, the Pac-12, long viewed as one of the weakest Power Five conferences, was the best league in the country. Every week, the Huskies were tested (eighth in strength of schedule), including two victories over an Oregon team I believe is the second-best team in the country. Expect Washington to set the pace and prevail with Penix Jr. and his arsenal of playmakers — just too much for the Wolverines to handle. Their offense is something they've never been exposed to before and it will show on the scoreboard. That’s right — take the points as a gift because the Huskies are the superior team.

I'm heading to Houston to see history as the Pac-12 goes out a winner in its final season and hopefully an early precursor of things to come as they enter the Big Ten next year.

Huskies roll!

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ken Schreiber picks Washington to beat Michigan for college football title