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The most distinctive aspect of Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game is right there in front of you: Michigan and Washington.
One team from the Midwest. Another from the West Coast. None from the SEC.
Excluding Ohio State, which recently won in 2014 and 2002, Michigan is the first school from the Midwest footprint to play for the national championship since Notre Dame in 2012.
With a win, the Wolverines would become the first current Big Ten program other than the Buckeyes to win an unshared championship since Nebraska in 1995 (who was then a member of the Big Eight) − and among historic members of the conference, the first other than Ohio State to do so outright since Minnesota in 1960.
Washington is the first Pac-12 school to play for the championship since Oregon in 2014. USC captured the conference’s last championship in 2004.
But what makes Monday night stand out even more is each team’s roster breakdown and recruiting credentials. Based on that factor, this ranks among the most unique championship game matchups in the playoff and Bowl Championship Series era.
Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk (2) catches a pass against Texas defensive back Terrance Brooks (8) during their College Football Playoff semifinal game at the 2024 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome.
West Coast meets Midwest
Washington’s roster is built primarily from players in the program’s backyard. Of the team’s 118-man postseason roster, 101 originally hail from western states: Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Alaska.
Overall, the Huskies players represent 20 different states plus one player originally from Germany in sophomore edge rusher Maurice Heims, though Heims spent his final two seasons of high school in Southern California.
Players from Washington and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/makes-michigan-washington-showdown-cfp-124403635.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-01-07 12:44:03
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