From Chaos to Championship
All of the controversy and commotion from a season filled with scandal, all the finger-pointing by the media, and the taunts from opposing fans are way back in the rearview mirror for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines after hoisting the hardware Monday night in Houston.
A dominant performance by the Wolverines completed an equally dominant season that saw Michigan win its first National Championship since 1997 with a crushing 34-13 victory over the Washington Huskies.
When the Wolverines lined up in the victory formation for the final two plays of the game, the celebrations around Ann Arbor were already in progress, as well as the celebrations by bettors who piggybacked the Wolverines all the way to the pay window.
Chalk & ‘Under’ Prevail
Closing as favorites of 5-5½ at the main offshore sportsbooks, Michigan covered that spread on the opening drive, an 8-play trek that covered 84 yards with the final 41 via the legs of Donovan Edwards. A Washington field goal later in the first quarter pulled the Huskies inside the number, but the Wolverines – and Edwards – immediately answered, and that was that.
Michigan’s top-ranked defense then took control to complete the mission. The Wolverines held Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies to just one touchdown and 301 yards, completely shutting down the Washington ground game.
The Huskies entered the contest averaging more than 37 points per game, and close to 475 yards, 120+ of which came on the ground. It all made for an easy payday for bettors riding the ‘under’ on a total that closed 55-55½ on the NCAAF odds board.
Edwards & Corum Cash for Prop Players
When Michigan backers and ‘under’ bettors started celebrating once the Wolverines took a knee to kill the clock, some prop players had been stacking up their chips – or lamenting their losses – for a good two hours or more.
The initial touchdown run by Edwards put smiles on the faces of the folks holding tickets on Michigan to score first. BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) carried the Wolverines at -140 in that column and also offered Edwards up at +1100 to score the first touchdown.
Of course, that 41-yard run by Edwards less than 5 minutes into the game killed off any hope of a scoreless first quarter for bettors dreaming of a +260 payday.
Michigan’s Blake Corum, who led the nation with 28 touchdowns on the season, had been the chalk on the first TD prop at +350. Though he didn’t come through for those prop players, the senior did manage to get into the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, marking his 7th-straight game with at least two touchdowns.
Corum was paying off +130 or better at some online sportsbooks on prop wagers to score twice. He ended the game with 134 yards rushing, his first 100-yard effort since the win at Penn State nearly two months ago.
There were other ‘under’ winners on the evening besides those people betting the low side on the scoreboard. Michigan’s defense kept Penix below the 296.5-yard passing mark to cash -115 tickets that he wouldn’t reach the mark. Likewise.
And with the Wolverines’ ground game churning out the yards, JJ McCarthy was an easy ‘under’ 201.5 yards passing (+100) as well.
Questions Abound Over Harbaugh & the NFL
Harbaugh was adamant after the game that none of the off-the-field distractions this season affected his team. He was on the sidelines for just nine of the 15 games, missing the first three and the last three serving suspensions over recruiting issues plus the sign-stealing scandal.
“The off-the-field issues, we’re innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I’d like to point that out,” Harbaugh said after the game. “I just want to enjoy this.”
Some of the talk turned to Harbaugh’s future after winning the National Championship. Having just completed his ninth season at Ann Arbor, the 60-year-old Harbaugh deflected questions surrounding his potential return to the NFL, where he coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14.
For Kalen DeBoer and the Huskies, there was plenty of disappointment with the loss, but also plenty of reasons to be excited about the future in Seattle. The Huskies overcame the odds time and time again just to reach the CFP title game, closing as the underdogs in four of their last five contests.
Looking Ahead for the Wolverines & Huskies
And so begins what could be the strangest offseason in college football history, thanks to realignment. DeBoer and the Huskies will not only be looking to unseat the Wolverines as national champs; they’ll be looking to unseat Michigan as Big Ten champs.
Washington is set to join the Big Ten this fall, along with Oregon, UCLA, and USC after the Pac-12 all but dissolved in the last eight months. The Huskies are scheduled to host the Wolverines on October 5, making for a huge first Saturday of October.
The CFP title implications in that game are obvious, and everyone is already chasing Georgia after the Bulldogs opened the college football futures betting as +425 picks to win it all.
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