Takeaways from Michigan's national championship victory over Washington

For the first time in program history, Michigan is 15-0. The Wolverines capped a perfect season with a resounding 34-13 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Here are our takeaways as Michigan climbed back to the pinnacle of college football.

It's time for Jim Harbaugh to graduate back to the pros

Confetti raining down on Harbaugh is the perfect final image of his time at Michigan. He did everything he set out to do when he arrived in Ann Arbor in December 2014. Michigan was coming off a 5-7 record under Brady Hoke and was miles from being a contender. 

In Harbaugh's ninth season at his alma mater, he's a national champion. The only thing he doesn't have on his resume is a Super Bowl win, which he came painfully close to in 2012 with the 49ers. It's only a matter of time (likely weeks) before Harbaugh gets a chance to cross that off his list, too.

Washington's offensive line was no match for Michigan

Joe Moore wants his award back. The Huskies' offensive line, which won the 2023 Joe Moore Award for most outstanding offensive line unit, was no match for the Wolverines' relentless pass rush. 

Michael Penix Jr. was only sacked once, but his timing was constantly thrown off by Michigan's front four, resulting in numerous overthrows and missed communications with his outstanding wide receivers. 

He finished the game 27-of-51 for 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Washington needed to win at the line of scrimmage to have a chance on Monday, but instead, that's where it was most thoroughly beaten.

Bring on Oct. 5

The Huskies won't wait long for their revenge. They host Michigan in their first season as a Big Ten member on Oct. 5 in a game they'll be highly motivated to wash out the taste of their championship game loss. 

Both teams will look much differently, with Penix Jr. and Harbaugh likely headed to the NFL. Plenty of other standouts must be replaced, too, including Michigan running back Blake Corum, Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze and plenty more. 

Regardless of the changes coming to each program, the first Saturday of October will feature a must-watch.