"Picking Michigan not to lose" - Josh Pate adds a twist to his National Championship game pick after 7 wrong predictions

"Late Kick" podcast host Josh Pate seems to think that Michigan has what it takes to win it all in Monday night's national championship game against Washington, well, at least what it takes not to fumble it.

Pate believes that the No. 1 Wolverines will win what he called "a clash of styles" between their physical style of play and the No. 2 Huskies' pass-heavy offense. The analyst seemed so undecided that he chose Michigan not to lose the title game instead of winning it outright.

Josh Pate's model has been famously inaccurate in predicting games this season. According to his model, Michigan should be outside the top five. He has also been inaccurate in picking the winners of the CFP national championship games. He addressed all of this while making his pick for the winner of this edition.

"I want to be defiant here, I want to lean in... I think both of you are going to lose," Pate said on his podcast on Friday. "I just happen to think Michigan is going to lose a little bit less than Washington is... I think somehow you're going to pull it out.

"I'm 0-7 right now picking these games with these teams, but you mark my words and the words of Mr. Chang, Mr. P.F. over there, I will be 1-7 by the time that the confetti settles and the dust settles Monday night... There you go, I'm picking Michigan not to lose."

The "P.F. Chang" reference comes from the fact that Pate had ordered food from that establishment the day he made his predictions for the College Football Playoff. He claimed that after opening seven or eight fortune cookies, he got one that read:

"Victory is just around the corner."

According to the CBS Sports and 247Sports analyst, that's a sign that fortune is on his side and that he will get this prediction right.

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What are Michigan's odds for this edition of the CFP national championship game, according to Josh Pate?

Josh Pate is making the Wolverines 5-point favorites for Jan. 8's showdown. This is similar to what Fan Duels and ESPN Bet are predicting, with both betting sites giving the Wolverines odds of 4.5 points.

Michael Penix Jr. could be Washington's ace under its sleeve

Unsurprisingly, the Wolverines are favored in this match. They are currently the top-ranked team in the nation and have been ranked in the top three all year.

On the other hand, the Washington Huskies have had to fight to get into consideration for the playoffs, with few people considering them serious contenders even by conference championship weekend.