"Our cameras will be on that matchup": Kirk Herbstreit reveals make or break factor for Michigan in CFP national championship clash

We are less than 3 hours away from the College Football Playoff national championship game kicking off between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies. There have been a lot of discussions about how this game is going to look and what the biggest matchups to look at will be.

While making an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit discussed how he will be focused on the offensive line, specifically on Michigan's interior offensive line vs Washington's defensive line.

In the trenches, the Joe Moore Award is given to the best offensive line unit and that was given to the University of Washington. Just like we were told growing up playing football, if you win the trenches then you will win the game.

---

How can the underdog Washington Huskies win the national championship?

The Washington Huskies are considered the underdog in today's national championship game. However, people are not expecting this to be a massive blowout like the Georgia vs TCU national championship game from last year. This game is expected to be closer and there is the possibility that the Huskies are standing tall at the end of the 60 minutes.

To do that, they need to have their Joe Moore Award offensive line dominate the Michigan defensive line. With running back Dillon Johnson potentially not playing at 100 percent as he is dealing with a foot injury, any help will be critical. Then we have quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has been a dominant force. If he can continue to move the football down the field and find the end zone, this Washington team should be able to control the game.

Michigan may opt to run the ball and control the clock to keep Penix on the sidelines. Washington's defense has been susceptible to the pass, requiring crucial some for a potential victory. This team beat the 17th-ranked defense in terms of points per game in the Sugar Bowl last week so they are not entering this game coming off a weak defense and now facing the top defensive program in college football.