Brock Huard: Michigan vs. Washington 'feels like the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Baltimore Ravens'
Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship features an intriguing matchup between two teams with vastly different playing styles. Michigan punches teams in the mouth with a ground-and-pound running game anchored by strong play in the trenches, while Washington possesses a high-powered passing game that spreads out opposing defenses.
Those are the ingredients for an exciting matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston. In fact, FOX Sports’ Brock Huard went so far as to compare it to two NFL powers with differing styles.
“It feels like — and I’ve said this to a few different people — it feels like the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Baltimore Ravens,” Huard told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “And that’s not just because John [Harbaugh] coaches there, but that’s what it kind of feels like.”
Washington brings the top passing offense in the country into the national title game, averaging 350 passing yards per game. Michigan, meanwhile, is averaging 159.5 rushing yards per contest and will go up against a Huskies defense that holds teams to an average of 137 yards on the ground. The Wolverines’ defense is also among the nation’s best, though, giving up just 10.2 points per game.
The two teams’ backgrounds also stand out to Huard, though. Ann Arbor is just 43 miles outside Detroit, and Washington’s campus is in the heart of Seattle. Both cities have NFL franchises, and that adds another ripple to the matchup. In addition, Jim Harbaugh and Kalen DeBoer have built both programs to prepare players for the professional level.
Factor in the rumors surrounding Harbaugh’s future, and there are plenty of NFL-like storylines to follow when Michigan and Washington square off.
“When I look at this, this has a pro-style feel,” Huard said. “Pro-style players, pro-style schemes. I think Jim Harbaugh will be a pro coach next year again. It is the Ravens, who are unapologetic bullies, who built a team that way. Obviously, Jim plucked from the Ravens defensive coaching staff and has continued that on with new staff, new coordinators, everything, employing those principles. They believe in one another wholeheartedly, and then the culture of their program.
“And Kalen on the flip side is the same way. He reminds me a lot of Andy Reid and the confidence that he carries, and they do it offensively. In [Patrick] Mahomes, you’ve got a difference maker and a generational player. And at the collegiate level, Michael [Penix Jr.] has been pretty darn generational and does it with a whole bunch of weapons. I think we’re kind of watching the Chiefs and the Ravens in a playoff game just down there in Houston with more than playoff implications. National title implications.”