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“COLLEGE PLAYOFFS–WOW”
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The Grand-Daddy of them all put on an all time show in its 110th Rose Bowl Game.  The Sugar Bowl became a very different game, but it was the sweet smell of offense..

For 12-hours on Monday, we stopped thinking-worrying-complaining-criticizing things like the transfer portal, NIL payments, tampering and all the things that make college football fans ill.

Michigan stun-gunned Alabama with its United Auto Workers strong-as-steel defense, earning Jim Harbaugh’s team a berth in the College Football playoff game.

It was 4-quarters of a defensive war, and then it was over in an instant.  There were so many starts and stops in a game in which quarterbacks were challenged, running games stymied, and receivers choked off.

Harbaugh said it best right before kickoff, ‘this game will be won upfront’, and it was.

The Wolverines had 6-sacks, 1-fumble recovery, and held the hi-octane Tide offense to (3-of-12) on 3rd downs.

Watching Harbaugh was like watching a passion play on the UM sideline.  Screaching, cajoling, cheerleading his team.  Nick Saban looked stunned all day long, as if he knew the roof would cave in on him.  The sacks were bad enough as were the 4-3-and-out series Bama had in the opening half.

It was not a pretty win, but the defenses caused havoc all afternoon long.  Alabama had 4-bad snaps to QB-Jalen Milroe.  The Tide defense struggled with the motion formations Michigan used thruout the second half.  Alabama hurt itself fielding punts at the 1-4-5, putting its QB on a terribly long field,much of the day.

Michigan won, but wasn’t clean either.  Special teams were not special, missing a field goal and a point after, and dropping an opening punt.

Heroes everywhere, from JJ McCarthy making big plays when needed, Corum busting an odd big run, and the guys in the trenches crushing Alabama’s run game and eventually its quarterback.

A great game for the Maize & Blue, not so much for the Roll Tide-offense that looked like Low Tide.

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We knew what Michael Penix was all about here on the West Coast, the rest of the nation obviously did not pay much attention, because not many voted for him in the Heisman Trophy race.

The whole country saw Penis put on a dazzling display of big pass plays, deep down the field, underneath routes, slants, outs and more.

When he was done with his (430Y) pass night, the Texas Longhorns were done too.

Stunning that Texas’ defense could not holdup to the onslaught.  Texas played Oklahoma-Oklahoma State-TCU, all who run spread formations with motion.  None did to the Burnt Orange and White what the QB wearing Husky Purple did.

Pick any quarter, and he was  throwing laser beam passes, covering 24-29-29-32-52-77 yards.  It wasn’t till the 4th quarter, when they started blitzing, because they could not cover, did they slow Penix down, but only for two series.

Quinn Ewers, who had a great season at UT, just could not keep up.  And a gassed Texas defense wilted having to chase the UW QB around the turf.

Washington’s defense was not renowned, giving up nearly 400-a game in the regular season.  But it did not matter because Penix just kept throwing and completing chunk plays.

Some storylines too about these coaches, Kaelen DeBoer, coming from tiny NAIA-school South Dakota State, with a ton of assistant stops at places like Southern Illinois, before he fixed a failing Fresno State team.  Look at what he has done in Seattle now.

A tough loss for Steve Sarkisian, the QB turned head coach.  He’s travelled a tough road, fighting thru alcoholism, and taking any job possible after his ouster at USC.  Nick Saban may have saved his career giving him an administrative job once out of rehab.  The rest is history, a good finish, despite lifestyle choices  and the Monday night loss.

So Washington, behind Penix’s (430-yards) night, with his receivers running wild all evening, will face Michigan in the title game.

Great offense, great defense, two great coaches too.

For 12-hours, we could set aside the mess college football has become, to enjoy a world of talent, dynamic coaching  and bulging playbooks.

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