The 11th annual College Football Playoff featured  January 1st matchups between the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide as well as the Washington Huskies and the Texas Longhorns. The winners compete tonight (January 8th) in the National Title Game.

     Michigan and Alabama kicked off the playoff in the 109th Rose Bowl, and the game did not disappoint. The number one defense in the country held Alabama’s star powered offense to just twenty points, the second worst offensive performance for Alabama all year, allowing Michigan to outlast the Tide in overtime and win the game 27-20.

     “I think Michigan had the edge over Alabama because they had a strong defense and a balanced offense. They were able to shut down Alabama’s offense and make some big plays themselves,” sophomore Bradern Carr said.

     Later that evening, Washington and Texas faced off in a promising matchup. To fans’ surprise, undefeated Washington entered the game as underdogs to the Longhorns who had not lost since early October. The two teams battled, going touchdown for touchdown until eventually  Washington kept Texas out of the endzone on the last play of the game to win 37-31 and advance to the National Championship.

     “Washington beat Texas because they didn’t have answers for their star wide receivers Rome Odunze and Ja’lynn Polk,” sophomore Jayden Lanzilloti said.

     With Michigan looking for their first National Championship since 1948 and Washington looking for their first ever, this year’s National Championship game is sure to have a memorable outcome for the college football world.