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Michigan football predictions vs. Washington: Who will win the national championship?

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

Michigan football predictions vs. Washington: Who will win the national championship?

Free Press sports writers share their predictions for the College Football Playoff national championship game between Michigan football and Washington in Houston on Monday:

Tony Garcia

Washington enters play with the nation’s longest winning streak (21 games) and one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. That said, U-M’s offense is better compared to Washington’s defense than the other side of the ball. It’s been a long trek for a Wolverines program that was left for dead three years ago. Instead, Monday night will be the culmination. will reach the mountain top, behind Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Michael Barrett, Mike Sainristil and a handful of players who stayed. The pick: U-M 34, Washington 26.

ONE MORE GAME: Michigan’s ‘one-track mind’ steamrolls through season, with one last stop to make

Carlos Monarrez

The Huskies are the underdog’s underdog, getting almost no respect from bettors or the CFP selection committee until the end of the season. Under sixth-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who might go to straight to collecting social security after the game, Washington has been electric while boasting the 10th-ranked total offense in FBS. But Michigan’s top-ranked defense is on a different level than anyone else’s, especially the Huskies’. The pick: U-M 30, Washington 23.

NEXT SEASON? Jim Harbaugh on possible NFL future: ‘I’ll gladly talk about it next week’

Rainer Sabin

The arc of Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan has been fascinating. He arrived as a savior, became a disappointment and has since been restored as one of the top coaches in the sport. On Monday, expect him to deliver the Wolverines their first national title since 1997 by relying on the rugged brand of football that has been the foundation of his success. A strong running game and sturdy offensive line will power Michigan’s offense and pin Penix Jr. to the sideline, where he won’t have the opportunity to inflict enough damage to destroy the Wolverines. That tried and true recipe, built around ball control, has always worked for Harbaugh. And it will serve him well in his most consequential game since returning to his alma mater nine years ago with the fanfare of a conquering hero. The pick: U-M 30, Washington 27.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Jeff Seidel

There are just so many interesting facets to this game, starting with Michigan’s defensive line against Washington’s offensive line, which does such a great job protecting Penix. Part of me thinks this will be a shootout, because Washington has such a strong passing game. But Michigan should be able to run the ball against Washington, control the clock and just grind out this win, sending Harbaugh to the NFL as with the natty. So, I guess that’s two predictions. The game and Harbaugh’s future. The pick: U-M 28, Washington 24.

READY TO GO: Michigan emphasizes rest as it arrives for College Football Playoff title game

Shawn Windsor

Harbaugh said his team has an unfair advantage because of the adversity and criticism it’s faced. He is right. The scandals have galvanized an already close team and that closeness showed at the end of the Rose Bowl. It will show again in the title game, as the Wolverines make one more play in the end, and do just enough hold down the Huskies’ explosive offense. The pick: U-M 34, Washington 31.

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Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

Published

11 hours ago

March 5, 2026

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Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

The votes weren’t there yet late Wednesday for Democrats’ income tax bill in the Washington state House.Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns.

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Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

Published

23 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.

SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement

Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.

“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”

Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.

Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.

The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.

The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.

The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.

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Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10^th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21^st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame.

Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.

“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.

“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”

Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.

“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”

The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes.

“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”

When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win.

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”

Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.

“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.

Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.

Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27^th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.

The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.

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