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Michigan and Washington came out on top in CFP semifinal games that went down to the final snap, setting up a must-see matchup between the only two teams with perfect records.

National Championship early odds: Michigan opens as 4.5-point favorites

After playing the easiest schedule of the four College Football Playoff qualifiers, there were doubts that Michigan could keep pace with Alabama’s high-flying offense. But the Wolverines won the battles in the trenches on offense and defense, leading to a 27-20 overtime victory.

Big Blue had a few blunders early and seemed destined to lose in the CFP semifinals for a third straight year. It started with a J.J. McCarthy interception on the first play of the game that was overturned because Caleb Downs had a foot out of bounds before making the catch.

Then, on the Crimson Tide’s opening drive punt, Michigan’s returner muffed it and Alabama recovered and found the end zone on the ensuing possession.

But Michigan’s defense came to play and helped overcome the costly turnover. The Wolverines sacked Jalen Milroe six times, and the QB was under duress throughout the game.

Milroe had only 116 passing yards and failed to connect on deep shots. On the game’s last play, Alabama needed three yards to find the end zone and force another overtime. When the Tide dialed up a QB rush, Michigan’s defensive line got to Milroe immediately to secure the victory.

McCarthy didn’t have his best game but managed to throw for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Big Blue’s offensive line bullied the Crimson Tide with a game-winning OT touchdown, needing only two plays for Blake Corum to run for 25 yards and a score.

National Championship early odds: Washington is no stranger to underdog tag

Washington was 12-0 heading into a Pac-12 Championship clash with Oregon, and the Huskies were 9.5-point underdogs despite beating the Ducks in the regular season. Washington shocked oddsmakers with a 34-31 win.

Texas was a 4-point favorite over Washington in the CFP semifinals, and thanks to an unbelievable performance from Michael Penix, the Huskies beat the odds once again. It’s only fitting that Washington will be an underdog one final time in a season where fans and analysts have continuously counted them out.

Penix was in the zone, flashing pinpoint accuracy on countless long passes. The Heisman runner-up finished with 430 yards and two touchdowns, and most of the targets went to Washington’s dominant pass-catching duo. Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk combined for 11 catches and 247 yards.

The Huskies’ defense forced a pair of turnovers that proved costly for Texas. The first came on the Longhorn’s first drive of the second half when CJ Baxter lost a fumble on Texas’ 33-yard line.

Two possessions later, Texas was moving into Washington territory when a 19-yard catch from Jaydon Blue was erased by a fumble recovery for the Huskies.

If not for poor clock management by head coach Kalen DeBoer, Washington could’ve drained the clock and won the game with no drama. Instead, Texas was 13 yards from the end zone with one second remaining, and Elijah Jackson made a beautiful play to break up a pass from Quinn Ewers, sending Washington to the National Championship.

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