Michigan dominates Washington for CFP title; Grizzlies’ Ja Morant done for season

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏆 Good morning to everyone but especially … 

THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Hail to the victors valiant. And dominant. And, for the first time since 1997 (and first time unanimously since 1948), national champions. Michigan bulldozed Washington, 34-13, to cap a magnificent — if controversial — season.

The Wolverines ran early, ran late and ran over an overwhelmed Huskies defense, while smothering an explosive offense to its fewest points of the season.

• Michigan racked up 303 yards rushing, a national championship game record. Washington had 301 yards total.
• Donovan Edwards, who hadn’t scored a rushing touchdown in nearly two months, had two in the first half, on bursts of 41 and 46 yards, respectively. Blake Corum had two scores late, extending his Michigan career record to 58.
• Edwards and Corum became the first duo to both have 100+ yards rushing and multiple rushing touchdowns in a national championship game since Mark Ingram II and Trent Richardson in 2010.
• When the offense stalled in the second half, the defense flexed its muscles. Star defensive backs Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil picked off Michael Penix Jr., who was bottled up by a lockdown secondary and beaten up by a relentless pass rush. Sainristil’s 81-yard interception return set up Corum’s game-sealing touchdown — a fitting end to a commanding victory.

Michigan is just the sixth team to go 15-0 or better and the first Big Ten team to win 15 games in a season since the 1899 Chicago Maroons, who played several high schools and a team named “Physicians & Surgeons,” among others. No, I’m not making that up.

This team — shaped by past CFP failures and plenty of adversity, writes Shehan Jeyarajah — was awesome. The offensive and defensive lines mauled opponents, the running backs carried the load, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a talented group of weapons made plays when needed, and the linebackers and secondary were phenomenal. Washington entered the game with 89 plays of 20+ yards this season, including six in the semifinal win over Texas. It had one Monday night. And the defense wasn’t done there; it even chased down Jim Harbaugh for a Gatorade bath.

And that brings us to Harbaugh, who missed the season’s first three games due to an NCAA violation and the regular season’s final three due to a sign-stealing scandal. (Harbaugh, for what it’s worth, said, “We’re innocent,” postgame.) Will he go back to the NFL? Will he take a record $125-million contract to stay at Michigan? He may not have been able to dodge a Gatorade bath, but he dodged questions about his future. Will Backus examined the looming decision from several angles.

But hold off on worrying about what’s next, Michigan fans, because the joy of fandom is about reveling in the wins. What a win this was, and what a team this was. Michigan is back on top of college football.

👍 Honorable mentions

🤕 And not such a good morning for …

JA MORANT AND THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Ja Morant‘s season is over just after it began, and the Grizzlies‘ chances of digging out of an early hole have gone with it. Morant will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after suffering a torn labrum in practice Saturday. Morant missed Sunday’s win over the Phoenix Suns with shoulder soreness and was expected to miss Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks before an MRI revealed the full extent of the injury. He is expected to be fully ready for next season. 

It’s a devastating blow for Memphis, which is 6-3 this season with Morant and 7-20 without him; he was suspended the first 25 games of the season for brandishing a firearm on social media multiple times. He’s one of three players this season averaging 25 points, five rebounds and eight assists this season along with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.

There is a silver lining, though, Brad Botkin notes.

• Botkin: “Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are All-Star level players, and they can continue to develop the rest of this season as focal points … and Memphis can come back raring to go next season with a healthy Morant, potentially an even better Bane and Jackson, and Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke back on the offensive glass. … Again, this is a gut-punch for the Grizzlies. But it’s not a long-term killer. This season might well have been lost anyway. They can chalk it up as an official loss and start building toward what is still a really bright future.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Early 2024 college football top 25

It’s never too early for next season’s top 25, even if rosters are in flux and at least one head coach (ahem, Mr. Harbaugh) has a big decision to make. Dennis Dodd did the honors, and even with the Big Ten expanding to 18, the SEC remains on top.

1. Georgia: “With Carson Beck and most of a rock-solid defense returning, there’s no shame in winning three out of the last four nattys.”
2. Alabama: “Expect the Crimson Tide to be a slam dunk for the expanded College Football Playoff.”
3. Michigan: “J.J. McCarthy has a decision to make, but with or without [Harbaugh], the Wolverines aren’t going to slide much.”
4. Oregon: “Dan Lanning might have the best quarterback room in the country with Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore transferring in.”
5. Ole Miss: “Lane Kiffin has plenty of running back depth even after making Quinshon Judkins a star.”

👀 Ranking candidates for Falcons’, Commanders’ openings

The NFL head coach opening count jumped to five Monday after a pair of firings: Arthur Smith minutes into what’s become known as Black Monday and Ron Rivera hours later. I wrote on why Rivera’s tenure ended the way it did and where Washington goes from here.

What’s next for both teams, likely within the next few weeks, is hiring Smith and Rivera’s replacements. Tyler Sullivan ranked the top five options for Atlanta, and Cody Benjamin has the top candidates for Washington. One I like in the nation’s capital is …

• Benjamin: “4. Ben Johnson — Johnson, 37, is perhaps the most coveted of the up-and-coming offensive minds, helping Jared Goff return to Pro Bowl form (and Detroit finally become NFL-relevant again). The appeal with him isn’t so much a track record of managing teams but rather maximizing offensive talent, which could be vital for Washington as it attempts to capitalize on its 2024 resources. To no one’s surprise, the Commanders have already requested to interview Johnson.”

Those two teams were the only ones to fire their coach Monday, but the Raiders, Panthers and Chargers are also looking for coaches after in-season firings. Our coaching tracker is already very busy, as is our coach and GM interview tracker.

Could there be more firings? Bill Belichick‘s future remains up in the air, and Jerry Jones didn’t exactly give a ringing endorsement of Mike McCarthy‘s job status, either.

Finding the right coach is arguably just as hard as avoiding the wrong one — or messing up the process in other ways — and Jonathan Jones explains how teams can avoid dangerous potholes on the road to hiring a coach.

Head coaches weren’t the only Black Monday departures, either.

• The Panthers fired GM Scott Fitterer.
• The Jaguars fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell.
• Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale resigned.

As for coaches not moving on, Pete Carroll expects to return to Seattle. Dennis Allen does too, though a notable and controversial former coach could be joining his staff in New Orelans.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

🏀 No. 2 Houston at Iowa State (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Grizzlies at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 22 Creighton at DePaul (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network