The Records are 0-0

It’s that time of the year when the records don’t matter in football… NFL or College, it’s all just a one-game season each week from here. We had a big Sunday where the NFL playoff seeds were set, and we have the College Football National Championship tonight in Houston.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the football talk and cover a quick news-breaking story!

College Football National Championship

💰️ Let’s set the scene with the betting odds. #1 Michigan is favored over #2 Washington by 4.5 points and the points total is 55.5

Instead of breaking down every single statistical category, let’s just give you the cheat sheet on how both teams can win.

How Michigan Wins

⏱️One of the most important things for Michigan is to control the clock. This is something they’ve done all year, and they’ve accomplished this in two ways. Their defense has kept opposing offenses off the field, and the Michigan offense has a very efficient ground game that can chew up the clock. This is very simple. If Michigan has the ball, Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. doesn’t. That’s a very good thing.

🏃 Sticking with the ground game… This will be Michigan’s path to success. They’ll need to control the line of scrimmage, and Michigan runs the ball in more than half of their offensive plays. The Washington defense is very middle of the pack when it comes to rushing defense. Look for Michigan to take advantage of this vulnerability.

💪 Is Michigan’s secondary one of the best in the nation? They’ve been sneaky good all year, but they have yet to face a receiving core and QB like this. The secondary will need to have good coverage, and it will need to be coupled with a deep defensive front that gets pressure on Penix and the Washington offensive line. Penix is too dangerous when he has time to throw. Limit Penix’s time to throw and the receiver’s time to get open and Michigan should be able to limit explosive plays.

How Washington Wins

⭐️ We need the superstar Washington Huskies today. The Huskies that we saw play Oregon twice and played a great game against the Longhorns. We can’t have the Washington team that barely made it past Washington St. or Stanford.

✈️Michael Penix Jr. needs to be special yet again in the air raid and he’l need help from the offensive line. This O-line unit won the award for the nation’s best O-line, and now it’s time for them to really show why they deserve it. Give Penix time to throw and give the receivers time to get open, and we might just see another very special night from Penix.

💪 The Washington defense needs to muscle up today and hold the Michigan ground game to minimal yards. Getting the ball back in Penix’s hands is important, but what’s also important is making Michigan prove itself in the passing game. Last weekend was really the first time Michigan needed to rely on J.J. McCarthy to be clutch in the air. Make McCarthy do it again.

Want to know my prediction?

Remember, I’m a Michigan fan, and while this passing game of Washington is scary, I think Michigan’s front will be too much to handle. Michigan wins 31-20.

NFL Playoffs Are Set

After another wonderful weekend of the NFL, where most of the games mattered and the quality of play was still pretty good, we’ve all the playoff matchups set.

What were some big surprises?

🏈 I think the biggest surprise is Philadelphia Eagles slide that they’re on and a big loss to the Giants is really just the icing on any NFL fan’s cake. Could they get bounced in the first round against the Bucs?

🏈 I think we’re all a little surprised by Pittsburgh and their ability to stay so average this year and just sneak into the playoffs. They’ll be climbing uphill against the Bills next week as they lost their top pass rusher T.J. Watt.

🏈 Speaking of the bills, what a way to end the regular season with that Sunday Night showdown in Miami. It looked like the Dolphins were going to run away with this thing, but now Miami is the 6 seed in the AFC, and they have to play the Chiefs on the road in the first round. Not Ideal. Here’s something that’s not a surprise with Miami. As things get more physical come playoff time, this elusive, quick team can’t really seem to compete with hard-nose football. Maybe Tua and the Dolphins will prove me wrong.

👉️ We’ll do more of a playoff preview later in the week to prepare you for the games!

Tiger Ends Partnership With Nike

The 27-year partnership between Tiger Woods and Nike has ended. Woods has been a brand ambassador for Nike since 1996, when he was 20 years old. Knight signed Woods to a five-year, $40 million deal when he turned pro following his third consecutive win at the U.S. Amateur. Tiger helped Nike Golf apparel become a leading brand. What’s next for Tiger? It seems like he’s got new plans coming soon.

Before we let you go, if you want to watch the National Championship tonight, tune into ESPN at 7:30 pm ET. Enjoy your Monday, and enjoy the game tonight!

-The Daily Breakroom