Washington
CFP National Championship betting: Tips, picks for Michigan vs. Washington
The College Football Playoff National Championship game features two of the best teams in the nation as J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines take on Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium in Houston. Who will win their first CFP title on Monday? What are the best prop bets to consider?
Dalen Cuff, Kevin Pulsifer and Tyler Fulghum offer thoughts and betting tips for the championship game.
No. 1 Michigan opened as a 5-point favorite over No. 2 Washington in Houston at ESPN BET. What are your thoughts on the current line for this game, and who do you like in this matchup?
Cuff: I loved Washington in the semifinal with the points, and now I’m still on the Huskies but with not as much confidence. The public is on them now, and that always concerns me. I think UW’s offensive line (which won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best OL) can protect Michael Penix Jr., who is the superior QB with vastly superior playmakers. The big question for me is: Can the Huskies hold up on the defensive line? I think the Wolverines will be able to run the ball, but this game will still be tight, and I’ll take the points with the Huskies.
Pulsifer: I finally turned the corner on the Huskies last week, just in time for them to pull another upset. When it happens once, it’s notable. When it happens twice, it’s a trend. Washington has now gone 5-0 as an underdog in the past two seasons, and I expect the Huskies to cover as long as their offensive line can give Penix enough time to find Rome Odunze & Co. downfield.
Fulghum: I think this number undervalues Washington a bit. Michigan deserves to be the favorite, but perhaps something closer to a field goal is more appropriate. All Washington does is win games and score points. They have an elite quarterback, maybe the best offensive line in the country and three NFL-caliber wide receivers to throw to. I not only like Washington with the points but wouldn’t be shocked at all if it wins this game outright because of its superior offensive ability.
The over/under total for Michigan-Washington is currently set at 55.5. With both teams scoring over 35 points per game during the regular season, should bettors expect another high-scoring affair in the national championship, or is the under a more intriguing option?
Cuff: As I mentioned above, I think the Wolverines can run and the Huskies can throw. The over in the CFP National Championship game is 7-2 historically. I think winner of this game is in the 30s and the loser is close behind, within a field goal, so the over is the play.
Pulsifer: I’m going to follow Dalen’s lead here with the over, although I think this total hinges on the first few drives. If Penix can capitalize with a big play or two early, it will speed up Michigan and the entire game will shift into overdrive. Washington needs to throw the first punch or the final score will end in the low 20s.
Fulghum: I prefer the under here. Michigan’s dominant defense and ability to run the football are likely going to create a game environment that is far less fertile than what Washington is used to playing in. Again, I firmly believe the Huskies can score on Michigan, just not as prolifically as other opponents. I feel like this game could have a 27-24 type of final score.
What is your favorite prop bet for Monday night’s game?
Cuff: Ja’Lynn Polk over 51.5 receiving yards. Clearly, I’m on the Huskies being able to throw the ball, but Michigan is extremely well coached and will focus on taking away Rome Odunze, so I think the other receivers, particularly Polk, can have a day. He has had 52 yards or more in every game except one this year, and I think that trend will continue with defensive attention focused elsewhere.
Pulsifer: J.J. McCarthy over 196.5 passing yards (-118). I know he went under this line in four straight games prior to the Alabama matchup, but he was dealing with an injury and facing elite Big Ten defenses in grind-it-out affairs. I think Jim Harbaugh knows he can’t play keep-away for 60 minutes, and 12 of 14 Washington opponents threw for 196-plus passing yards.
Fulghum: Michael Penix Jr. under 39.5 pass attempts (-122). Penix has only eclipsed this number four times this season in 13 games. His high-water mark is 42 attempts. Couple that with the fact that Michigan runs a ball-control type of offense that can limit possession time for the Huskies and this becomes an even stronger bet.
Washington
Widespread Verizon outage prompts emergency alerts in Washington, New York City
Verizon said on Wednesday that its wireless service was suffering an outage impacting cellular data and voice services.
The nation’s largest wireless carrier said that its “engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly.”
Verizon’s statement came after a swath of social media comments directed at Verizon, with users saying that their mobile devices were showing no bars of service or “SOS,” indicating a lack of connection.
Verizon, which has more than 146 million customers, appears to have started experiencing services issues around 12:00 p.m. ET, according to comments on social media site X.
Two hours later, Verizon posted an update on social media, saying that its engineers were “continuing to address today’s service interruptions,” but did not say if a specific reason for the outage had been identified or when it could be resolved.
“We understand the impact this has on your day and remain committed to resolving this as quickly as possible,” the company said.
Despite those efforts, shortly after 4:00 p.m. ET, Verizon issued a third statement that contained little new information. The company said teams were “on the ground actively working to fix today’s service issue.”
Users had initially reported problems with Verizon’s competitors, T-Mobile and AT&T, as well. But both companies said they were not experiencing any service problems.
“T-Mobile’s network is keeping our customers connected, and we’ve confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected,” a spokesperson told NBC News. “However, due to Verizon’s reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time.”
A spokeswoman for AT&T also said the company’s network was “operating normally.”
In Washington, D.C., the District’s official emergency notification system sent out a message to residents saying that the Verizon outage was “nationwide.”
“If you have an emergency and can not connect using your Verizon Wireless device, please connect using a device from another carrier, a landline, or go to a police district or fire station to report the emergency,” the AlertDC system told recipients.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management also said it was aware of the outage without mentioning Verizon by name. The city said it was “working closely with our partners” to review the outage and “assess any potential effects on city agencies & essential services.”
Washington
Vance to meet Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington on Wednesday
People walk along a street in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
NUUK, Greenland — Along the narrow, snow-covered main street in Greenland’s capital, international journalists and camera crews stop passersby every few meters (feet) asking them for their thoughts on a crisis which Denmark’s prime minister has warned could potentially trigger the end of NATO.

Greenland is at the center of a geopolitical storm as U.S. President Donald Trump is insisting he wants to own the island — and the residents of its capital Nuuk say it is not for sale. Trump said he wants to control Greenland at any cost and the White House has not ruled out taking the island by force.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will meet Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the Arctic island, which is a semiautonomous territory of the United States’ NATO ally Denmark.
Tuuta Mikaelsen, a 22-year-old student, told The Associated Press in Nuuk that she hoped American officials would get the message to “back off.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a news conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Tuesday that, “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”

Greenland is strategically important because as climate change causes the ice to melt, it opens up the possibility of shorter trade routes to Asia. That also could make it easier to extract and transport untapped deposits of critical minerals which are needed for computers and phones.
Trump also said he wants the island to expand America’s security and has cited what he says is the threat from Russian and Chinese ships as a reason to control it.
But both experts and Greenlanders question that claim.
“The only Chinese I see is when I go to the fast food market,” Lars Vintner, a heating engineer told AP. He said he frequently goes sailing and hunting and has never seen Russian or Chinese ships.
His friend, Hans Nørgaard, agreed, adding “what has come out of the mouth of Donald Trump about all these ships is just fantasy.”
Denmark has said the U.S. — which already has a military presence — can boost its bases on Greenland. For that reason, “security is just a cover,” Vintner said, suggesting Trump actually wants to own the island to make money from its untapped natural resources.
Nørgaard told AP he filed a police complaint in Nuuk against Trump’s “aggressive” behavior because, he said, American officials are threatening the people of Greenland and NATO. He suggested Trump was using the ships as a pretext to further American expansion.

“Donald Trump would like to have Greenland, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would like Ukraine and (Chinese President) Xi Jinping would like to have Taiwan,” Nørgaard said.
Mikaelsen, the student, said Greenlanders benefit from being part of Denmark which provides free health care, education and payments during study.
“I don’t want the U.S. to take that away from us,” she said.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources said it’s “unfathomable” that the United States is discussing taking over a NATO ally and urged the Trump administration to listen to voices from the Arctic island’s people.
Washington
HIGHLIGHT | Lawrence Dots a Pass to Washington for a 6-Yard TD
DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Brenton Strange, S Eric Murray, and S Antonio Johnson speak with the media after practice on Thursday ahead of the Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills.
0:00 – 2:28 – DE Dawuane Smoot
2:29 – 6:24 – LB Foyesade Oluokun
6:25 – 9:25 – TE Brenton Strange
9:26 – 11:32 – S Eric Murray
11:33 – 13:46 – S Antonio Johnson
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