| 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 10th College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 8, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | NRG Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Houston, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Blake Corum (Michigan,RB) Will Johnson (Michigan,CB) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Michigan by 4.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Fantasia[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Marcus Woods (ACC)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 72,808 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Fowler (play-by-play),Kirk Herbstreit (analyst),Holly Rowe andMolly McGrath (sidelines) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 12.3 (25.1 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes Brazil:ESPN Brazil/Star+ Canada:TSN1/3/4/5 Latin America:ESPN/Star+ Oceania:ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Pablo Viruega (analyst), Katia Castorena (sidelines) and Sebastian M. Christensen (analyst) ESPN Brazil: Matheus Pinheiro, Weinny Eirado, Deivis Chiodini and Giane Pessoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2024 College Football Playoff National Championship (officially known as the2024 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was acollege footballbowl game that was played on January 8, 2024, atNRG Stadium inHouston, Texas, United States. The tenthCollege Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined thenational champion of theNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the2023 season. It was the final game of the2023–24 College Football Playoff (CFP) and, aside from any all-star games afterward, the culminating game of the2023–24 bowl season. The game began at approximately 6:45 p.m.CST and was televised nationally byESPN.
The game featured the No. 1Michigan Wolverines of theBig Ten Conference (winners of theRose Bowl) and the No. 2Washington Huskies of thePac-12 Conference (winners of theSugar Bowl). Michigan and Washington had met in four previousRose Bowls (1978,1981,1992,1993) in the traditional matchup between Big Ten andPac-8/10 champions. The game was the first CFP National Championship Game without a participant from theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) sincethe inaugural edition in 2015, which featuredOhio State andOregon (also a Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup). Due to the expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams beginning in2024–25, it was the final CFP National Championship Game under the four-team format; it was also Washington's last game as a member of the Pac-12 before their move to the Big Ten in time for the2024 season.
Michigan led at the conclusion of the first quarter after twotouchdown rushes, each of more than 40 yards, byDonovan Edwards; a 25-yardfield goal was Washington's only score until a touchdown pass fromMichael Penix Jr. toJalen McMillan late in the first half. This narrowed the Huskies'halftime deficit to seven points. Penix wasintercepted on the first play of the second half, giving Michigan possession near thered zone and ultimately leading to a 38-yard field goal. Washington scored another field goal but a second Penix interception and aturnover on downs by the Huskies in the fourth quarter led to two more Michigan touchdowns, both rushes byBlake Corum, the eventual offensivemost valuable player (MVP). Michigan won the game 34–13, securing their first national championship since1997 and first outright national championship since1948. The victory made them only the fourth NCAA FBS national champion to finish 15–0.
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NRG Stadium inHouston was the site chosen for the game on November 1, 2017.[4][5] Houston was the tenth city to host theCollege Football Playoff National Championship (afterArlington,Glendale,Tampa,Atlanta,Santa Clara,New Orleans,Miami Gardens,Indianapolis, andInglewood).[6] While it had not before hosted the CFP National Championship, the stadium had previously hosted major events from multiple sports, including the2016 Copa América,[7] numerousCONCACAF Gold Cups,[8][9] threeFinal Fours (2011,2016,2023),[10][11][12] and twoSuper Bowls (2004,2017).[13][14] It is the regular host of theNational Football League'sHouston Texans and the NCAA's postseasonTexas Bowl.[15] In addition, it is scheduled to host matches as part of the2026 FIFA World Cup.[16]
The four teams competing in the Playoff were selected by the CFP selection committee, whose final rankings were released on December 3, 2023.[17] The committee selected No. 1Michigan of theBig Ten Conference, No. 2Washington of thePac-12 Conference, No. 3Texas of theBig 12 Conference, and No. 4Alabama of theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). Each team was the champion of its respective conference. Michigan and Washington entered the playoff with undefeated13–0 records while Texas and Alabama entered 12–1.[18]
The semifinals were both played on January 1, 2024. The first semifinal was played at theRose Bowl and matched No. 1 Michigan with No. 4 Alabama. The top-ranked Wolverines held a three-point lead at halftime but trailed by seven points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The game was tied whenRoman Wilson caught atouchdown pass fromJ. J. McCarthy andJames Turner'sextra point was good, and it went intoovertime after neither team was able to score in the remaining minute and a half. Michigan was the only team able to score in the overtime period and they won the game by a 27–20 final score, earning them a berth in the national championship.[19][20] The second semifinal, played at theSugar Bowl, matched No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas. This game was higher-scoring than the first, and the teams enteredhalftime tied at 21 points apiece after each team scored three touchdowns in the first half. Washington scored the first 13 points of the second half and held a 34–21 lead shortly into the fourth quarter. Despite scoring a touchdown later in the quarter, Texas was unable to overcome the deficit and Washington won the game, 37–31, following a defensive stop on Texas's final offensive series of the game.[21][22]
The championship game was the tenth in College Football Playoff history[23] and the final championship to be played as part of the four-team playoff format; in September 2022, the CFP board of managers voted to expand the tournament from four teams to twelve, effective with the2024–25 edition.[24]
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| January 1 –Rose BowlRose Bowl Stadium,Pasadena | ||||||||
| 1 | Michigan(OT) | 27 | ||||||
| 4 | Alabama | 20 | January 8 –National ChampionshipNRG Stadium,Houston | |||||
| 1 | Michigan | 34 | ||||||
| January 1 –Sugar BowlCaesars Superdome,New Orleans | 2 | Washington | 13 | |||||
| 2 | Washington | 37 | ||||||
| 3 | Texas | 31 | ||||||
The game marked the fourteenth meeting between Michigan and Washington; the Wolverines led the all-time series entering the game with eight wins to Washington's five. The most recent meeting between the two was on September 11, 2021, when Michigan defeated Washington, 31–10, atMichigan Stadium inAnn Arbor.[25] Michigan and Washington had met four times at theRose Bowl (1978,1981,1992,1993) in the traditional matchup between theBig Ten andPac–8/10 champion; this would be the fifth postseason meeting between the teams and the first outside ofPasadena. Each team had won two of the Rose Bowl matchups.[25]
Each of Michigan and Washington's most recentnational championships was asplit national championship in the1990s, with Washington topping theCoaches Poll in1991 and Michigan theAP Poll in1997. This was the first time that either team had played in a definitive national championship game, as neither school participated in aBowl Coalition,Bowl Alliance, orBCS championship game.[26] Both teams lost in the semifinals of their previousCollege Football Playoff brackets, Washington in2016 and Michigan in2021 and2022.[27][28]
As part of the ongoing2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment and collapse of thePac-12, Washington joined the Big Ten Conference as a full member effective August 2, 2024,[29] meaning that the teams are conference opponents beginning in the2024 season.[30] Their first inter-conference game took place atHusky Stadium inSeattle on October 5, 2024;[31] Washington won the rematch in an upset by a score of 27–17.[32]
Washington finished their regular season with a perfect 12–0 record, making them the first Pac-12 team to complete an undefeated regular season sinceOregon in 2010, when the conference was still the Pac-10. They finished as regular season Pac-12 champions and, as a result, qualified for the2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game againstOregon.[33] The Huskies and Ducks had met earlier in the season, on October 14 in Seattle when Washington won 36–33.[34] In the conference championship rematch in Las Vegas, Washington prevailed again, this time by a score of 34–31.[35] The playoff committee seeded them No. 2 and paired them with No. 3 Texas in theSugar Bowl semifinal game;[18] Washington won that game, 37–31, to advance to the national championship game.[22]
Washington's two postseason victories gave them a 14–0 record entering the game. They were seeking their first national championship since1991, when they were named national champions by theCoaches Poll,FWAA, and theNFF following aRose Bowl win overMichigan; they have never won an outright national championship. This was Washington's second CFP appearance after a semifinal loss toAlabama in2016 Peach Bowl.[36] Washington head coachKalen DeBoer was seeking his fourth national championship after winning threeNAIA national titles as the head coach of theSioux Falls Cougars in 2006, 2008, and 2009.[37]
Washington quarterbackMichael Penix Jr. won theMaxwell Award and was one of four finalists for theHeisman Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player in college football in a given year. He finished runner-up toLSU quarterbackJayden Daniels and ahead of Oregon quarterbackBo Nix andOhio State wide receiverMarvin Harrison Jr.[38]
Michigan finished the regular season with a perfect 12–0 record, having concluded their Big Ten schedule with arivalry win over Ohio State, 30–24. As Ohio State also entered the game undefeated, the Big Ten Conference East Division championship was on the line and Michigan's win and subsequent division title earned them a berth to the2023 Big Ten Football Championship Game against the West Division championIowa.[39] They defeated Iowa in a 26–0 shutout to claim their third consecutive conference championship; theAssociated Press said that Iowa "never had a chance" in the game and remarked that Michigan was likely to claim the No. 1 seed in the playoff,[40] which they ultimately did.[18] The Wolverines defeated No. 4 Alabama in their semifinal game at theRose Bowl in overtime, giving them a national championship berth.[20]
Michigan entered the title game with a 14–0 record.[28] They were seeking their first national championship since1997, when they defeatedWashington State in theRose Bowl and were named national champions by theAP Poll,FWAA, and theNFF.[41][42][43][44] Their last outright national championship was in1948,[45] when they finished undefeated at 9–0.[46] This was Michigan's third appearance in the College Football Playoff after semifinal losses toGeorgia in2021[47] andTCU in2022;[48] their semifinal win over Alabama was their first CFP victory.[49]
The game was played during anongoing investigation into allegations of sign-stealing by Michigan Wolverines staff members.[50][51][52] The scandal was a major headline for the team throughout the season; it centered around an allegation and subsequent investigations by the NCAA and Big Ten as to whether Michigan violated an NCAA bylaw regarding the scouting of future opponents.Connor Stalions, a Michigan football staffer, was cited by allegations as having attended more than 35 games to scout future opponents. Head coachJim Harbaugh, who denied knowledge of the scouting, was suspended by the Big Ten for the team's last three regular season games againstPenn State,Maryland, and Ohio State. He had previously served a suspension for the team's first three games of the season, againstEast Carolina,UNLV, andBowling Green, as the result of a self-imposed sanction regarding recruiting violations.[53]
| Washington | Position | Michigan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| †Rome Odunze 1 | WR | Tyler Morris | |
| Ja'Lynn Polk 2 | WR | Cornelius Johnson 7 | |
| Troy Fautanu 1 | LT | LaDarius Henderson 7 | |
| Nate Kalepo | LG | Trevor Keegan 5 | |
| Parker Brailsford | C | Drake Nugent | |
| Julius Buelow | RG | Karsen Barnhart | |
| Roger Rosengarten 2 | RT | Trente Jones | |
| Jack Westover | TE | Colston Loveland 1 | |
| Devin Culp 7 | TE | WR | Roman Wilson 3 |
| Michael Penix Jr. 1 | QB | J. J. McCarthy 1 | |
| Dillon Johnson | RB | †Blake Corum 3 | |
| Defense | |||
| Tuli Letuligasenoa | DL | Mason Graham 1 | |
| Faatui Tuitele | DL | Kris Jenkins 2 | |
| Bralen Trice 3 | DE | Jaylen Harrell 7 | |
| Alphonzo Tuputala | LB | DE | Braiden McGregor |
| Zion Tupuola-Fetui | LB | Michael Barrett 7 | |
| Edefuan Ulofoshio 5 | LB | Junior Colson 3 | |
| Jabbar Muhammad | CB | Will Johnson 2 | |
| Elijah Jackson | CB | Mike Sainristil 2 | |
| Dominique Hampton 5 | SS | Rod Moore | |
| Asa Turner | FS | Keon Sabb | |
| Mishael Powell | DB | Makari Paige | |
| Source[54] • † 2023 All-American | |||
| Selected in an NFL Draft (number corresponds to draft round) | |||
The game'sofficiating crew, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, was led byreferee Marcus Woods.[3] The game, which took place on January 8, 2024,[55] was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. localCST, though its actual start time was 6:46 p.m. The pregamecoin toss was won by Washington, who deferred their choice to the second half, thereby giving Michigan possession of the ball to begin the game.[54]
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Washington kicker Grady Gross began the game as the openingkickoff was returned by Michigan'sSemaj Morgan to the Wolverines' 16-yard line. The first threedrives of the game all resulted in scoring plays for their respective teams. The Wolverines traveled 84 yards over the course of eight plays en route to the game's openingtouchdown, scored on a 41-yard rush byrunning backDonovan Edwards. Washington scored afield goal on their first possession; they converted threethird downs throughout the drive and finished with a 25-yard kick by Gross, which made the score 7–3 in favor of Michigan. The Wolverines' ensuing drive contrasted to Washington's first in length and result: UW took 14 plays and over six minutes of game time to score their field goal, whereas Michigan scored their second touchdown in four plays, which took less than a minute and a half off of the clock. With 3:46 remaining in the opening quarter,quarterback J. J. McCarthy completed a pass to wide receiver Roman Wilson for a 37-yard gain, and Edwards scored on a 46-yard touchdown rush just over a minute later. Placekicker James Turner made the extra point, giving Michigan an eleven-point lead. Washington was unable to respond as a rush for no gain byDillon Johnson and an incomplete pass forced the contest's firstthree-and-out. Jack McCallisterpunted and the kick was downed by Jaden Green at the Michigan 21-yard line. With 21 seconds remaining in the first quarter, running backBlake Corum rushed for a gain of 59 yards before he was tackled at the Washington 20-yard line; this was the last play of the first quarter.[54]
Following the long rush, Michigan was unable to gain a first down; Turner kicked a 31-yard field goal on 4th & 4 to extend his team's lead to fourteen points 1:29 into the second quarter. After the field goal, neither team scored for nearly thirteen minutes. Washington's ensuing drive ended with aturnover on downs at the Michigan 47-yard line following an incomplete pass thrown by quarterbackMichael Penix Jr. that was intended for wide receiverRome Odunze. Both teams then recorded three-and-outs, with Michigan failing to gain any yards before punting for atouchback and Washington gaining a net total of three yards (despite suffering aquarterback sack on first down) before punting the ball back to the Wolverines. Michigan faced 4th & 2 from the Washington 38-yard line on their next offensive series and elected togo for it, but failed in doing so and turned the ball over on downs. The Huskies scored their first touchdown exactly four minutes later, with Penix passing toJalen McMillan for a 3-yard touchdown with 42 seconds remaining in the half; this play was also a fourth down conversion attempt. The successful extra point made the score 17–10 in favor of the Wolverines, who went three-and-out on their last drive of the half and punted; Washingtontook a knee to end the half.[54]
The firstturnover of the championship game came on the firstplay from scrimmage of the third quarter. After UW received the ball to begin the half, Penix threw a pass which was intended for Tybo Rogers but wasintercepted bycornerbackWill Johnson at the Washington 32-yard line. Michigan extended their lead to ten points after a three-minute drive that resulted in a 38-yard Turner field goal. Washington scored a field goal on their following drive, which was advanced down the field in part because of anunnecessary roughness penalty called ondefensive backMakari Paige. The kick was from a distance of 45 yards and made by Gross, narrowing the Michigan advantage back down to seven points. The remainder of the third quarter consisted of the teams trading punts; only four first downs were recorded by both teams combined in the remaining 8:58 of the quarter and neither team crossed midfield. The quarter ended after a completed 12-yard pass from Penix totight endJack Westover which moved the ball to the Washington 23-yard line, with Michigan leading 20–13.[54]
The teams continued to trade punts in the early stages of the fourth quarter; Washington failed to gain a first down following the completed pass which ended the third quarter and the next series for both teams resulted in a three-and-out. Michigan broke the streak with a five-play drive that began with a 41-yard pass by McCarthy to tight endColston Loveland and resulted in a 12-yard touchdown rush by Corum with 7:09 remaining in the contest. Soon after, Washington found themselves facing 4th & 13 on the Michigan 30-yard line; on the play, a defensivepass interference penalty was called that would have given UW an automatic first down but the down was replayed because of an offensiveholding call. The next fourth down conversion attempt resulted in an interception by defensive backMike Sainristil, who returned the pass 81 yards to the Washington 8-yard line. Corum scored his second touchdown with a 1-yard rush two plays later, and Turner added the extra point to give Michigan a 34–13 lead. Those were the game's final points; Washington's last drive ended on an incomplete pass intended for Devin Culp on 4th & 10 from the UW 31-yard line that resulted in a turnover on downs. Corum rushed for 1-yard before the Wolverines kneeled twice to run out the clock and secure a 21-point national championship victory.[54]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Washington | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 1 Michigan | 14 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
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The game was televised in the United States onESPN, withMegacast coverage across numerous other channels in the ESPN family. In addition to the main national broadcast onESPN, theMegacast coverage featured Field Pass hosted byThe Pat McAfee Show onESPN2, the Command Center feed with multiple angles and live statistics onESPNU, the Skycast onESPNews, and a Spanish-language broadcast onESPN Deportes.[56] The game was televised in Canada onTSN.[57]ESPN Radio carried the national radio broadcast of the game[58] and theWatchESPN website and mobile application featured "Hometown Radio" feeds featuring each team's regular radio commentators.[56]
In the United Kingdom, the game, along with ESPN's build-up to the game, was broadcast live onSky Sports.[59]
TheSaturday Night Football commentary team ofChris Fowler,Kirk Herbstreit, andHolly Rowe featured on the primary ESPN broadcast, withMolly McGrath joining Rowe as a sideline reporter. Bill Lemonnier, a former Big Ten referee, also featured as a rules analyst. The ESPN2 broadcast featuredPat McAfee,A.J. Hawk,Darius Butler, Anthony DiGuilio, Connor Campbell, and Ty Schmit. The ESPN Radio call featured play-by-play commentary fromSean McDonough, analysis fromGreg McElroy, and sideline reporting fromIan Fitzsimmons andKris Budden. The Spanish-language commentary team ofEduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Katia Castorena and Sebastian Christensen featured on the ESPN Deportes telecast,[56] whileESPN Brazil's Portuguese-language broadcast featured Matheus Pinheiro, Weinny Eirado, Deivis Chiodini and Giane Pessoa.[60] Michigan's "Hometown Radio" call featuredDoug Karsch,Jon Jansen, andJason Avant from theMichigan Sports Network[28] while Washington's featuredTony Castricone,Cameron Cleeland, andElise Woodward from the Washington Sports Network.[56]
Michigan's win gave them a 15–0 record to finish the season, making them the fourth NCAA FBS national champion to achieve the feat (after2018 Clemson,2019 LSU, and2022 Georgia).[61] Washington finished their final season as a member of the Pac-12 with a 14–1 record in what was one of the best seasons in program history.[62]
Michigan running back Blake Corum and cornerback Will Johnson were named offensive and defensiveMVPs, respectively.[63]
A total of 72,808 people attended the game.[54] The television broadcast of the game brought in 25 million viewers and peaked at 28 million; it was the most-watched national championship broadcast sinceLSU's defeat of Clemson in 2020 and represented a 45% increase from viewership of theprevious year's championship, a 58-point rout of TCU by Georgia.[64] It was the seventh-highest-viewed of all ten CFP National Championships[65] and the second-highest-viewed game of the season, behind the Michigan–Alabama Rose Bowl semifinal.[26] As a whole, the 2023–24 playoff was the most viewed since the2017–18 playoff, which featured a double-overtimeRose Bowl and an overtimenational championship.[64]
After Alabama head coachNick Saban announced his retirement on January 10,[66] Kalen DeBoer was hired by Alabama to replace him two days later.[67] On January 14, Washington hiredArizona head coachJedd Fisch to be DeBoer's successor.[68] Another coaching change occurred on January 24, when Jim Harbaugh became the head coach of theLos Angeles Chargers; he has NFL coaching experience as theSan Francisco 49ers head coach from 2011 to 2014 and played quarterback for the Chargers in 1999 and 2000.[69] Following Harbaugh's departure, Michigan offensive coordinatorSherrone Moore, who was the team's acting head coach during Harbaugh's suspensions, was hired to succeed him on January 26.[70] The departures of Saban, DeBoer, and Harbaugh left Texas head coachSteve Sarkisian as the only one of the four coaches in the 2023–24 College Football Playoff to remain with their team into the 2024 season.[71]
The championship game served as the conclusion of the2023–24 NCAA bowl game season, followed only by the slate of postseason all-star games which took place in January and February 2024. These included theHula Bowl,[72]Tropical Bowl,[73]East-West Shrine Bowl,[74] theSenior Bowl,[75] and theHBCU Legacy Bowl.[76]
