Washington set to host Michigan in title game rematch on NBC Sports, Peacock

College football’s new era and recent past collide on Oct. 5 when Washington welcomes Michigan to Husky Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EST. Not only is the game — available on NBC Sports and Peacock — a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff final, it marks a new matchup in the expanded Big Ten.

The Wolverines pounded the Huskies 34-13 in that title game to finish off an undefeated season. This rematch will have a much different feel to it, though, as both programs have undergone massive changes. Michigan and Washington are both breaking in new head coaches (Sherrone Moore in for Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor, Jedd Fisch for Kalen DeBoer in Seattle) and replacing plenty of starters (20 for Washington, 17 for Michigan).

Most importantly, they are both adjusting to new expectations in the new-look Big Ten. Because of all that turnover, Michigan entered the season as the lowest-ranked defending national champion since 2011, while Washington hasn’t cracked the AP Top 25 yet this season. Both have also already gotten a taste of what this new Big Ten looks like, as Michigan won a thriller against new conference foe USC and Washington won its first-ever Big Ten conference game vs. Northwestern in Week 4.

Here is everything you need to know about this matchup and how the Wolverines and Huskies have performed thus far.

Michigan

After a shaky first three weeks defined by incompetent offense, there’s hope in Ann Arbor. Michigan welcomed USC to the Big Ten Saturday with a 27-24 victory that felt seismic for the Wolverines’ season. After getting blown out by Texas at home and looking unimpressive against Fresno State and Arkansas State, the Wolverines badly needed an impressive win to get some mojo going.

The insertion of Alex Orji as the starting quarterback made a major difference, as Orji’s athleticism opened up Michigan’s creative run game to gash USC for 290 rush yards on 46 carries. There’s still plenty to work on — Orji completed seven of his 12 pass attempts for only 32 yards — but a strong run game combined with the Wolverines’ unrelenting defense will make them a tough out.

Washington

The Huskies have suffered from some missed opportunities offensively; although they have moved the ball fairly well, their 27.0 points per game ranks 86th in the country. It wasn’t a problem for Washington against offensively-challenged Northwestern, but it did cost them the Apple Cup — the Huskies scored one touchdown on their 10 true possessions against Washington State and ended up losing to their rival 24-19 despite outgaining the Cougars 452-381.

However, Washington’s defense has picked up the slack, ranking 11th in the country with 237.5 yards and 10.3 points allowed per game. The Huskies’ pass defense has been particularly strong, ranking 13th nationally with 131.3 yards allowed per game through the air and just one passing touchdown allowed through four games. We’ll see how that translates against Michigan’s power game.

Series History

Last year’s national championship game was the latest result in a matchup with a surprising amount of history; Michigan holds a 9-5 edge in the series, but Washington is 4-2 in games played in Seattle. Michigan and Washington have played four times in the Rose Bowl, with the teams alternating victories in 1977, 1981, 1992 and 1993. Michigan has won the last three meetings going back to 2002.

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How to watch Michigan vs Washington:

• When: Saturday, October 5

• Where: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA

• Time: 7:30 PM ET

• TV Channel: NBC

• Live Stream: Peacock

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