Coach Jim Harbaugh and his brother pose for a photo on the field after winning the national championship.
Houston is back in the national spotlight for the second time in less than a year as NRG Stadium hosts the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Washington plays Michigan on Monday evening, with the Huskies looking for their first national title since 1991 and the Wolverines going for their first since 1997.

Both teams are in their first CFP title game. It will be only the third time that a pair of 14-0 teams have met. The Huskies have won 21 straight games, including each of the last 10 by 10 points or less. The Wolverines lost in the CFP semifinals the last two years and are the first Big Ten team since Ohio State in 2015 to reach the final.

It’s the second college sports championship to be played at NRG within the past year. The NCAA Men’s Final Four was played at the stadium in April.

Michigan dominates fourth quarter

Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Jim Harbaugh and No. 1 Michigan — undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program — completed a three-year climb to a national championship by beating No. 2 Washington 34-13 Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game.

The Wolverines (15-0) sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime against Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal, blasted in from the 1-yard line with 3:37 left to put Michigan up by 21.

Field goals set up finale

Both teams kept each other out of the end zone in the third quarter, setting up a dramatic finish to the 2024 title game.

Washington turned the ball over seconds into the 3Q, but its defense held Michigan to a field goal.

The Huskies were able to respond in turn, drilling a 45-yard field goal minutes later.

20-13 Michigan with 15 minutes to go.

Huskies hanging around

Michigan had multiple opportunities to put the game away in the second quarter but failed.

Instead, Washington survived a topsy-turvy 15 minutes and managed to tally its first touchdown of the game on a fourth and goal pass from the three yardline late in the quarter.

Michael Penix, Jr.’s pass cut the lead to one possession with just 46 second left in the half. Instead of a big lead for Big Blue, it was Michigan up just 17-10 at the break.

Dream start for Michigan

The Wolverines dominated the first quarter at NRG. A 41-yard rush by Donovan Edwards was the first score of the game. On the following Michigan drive, he scored on a 46-yard run.

Washington had an impressive first drive, but it stalled out in the red zone, and the Huskies had to kick a field goal.

Michigan was up 14-3 after the first quarter and was once again deep in Washington territory after the first 15 minutes.

Weather watch

There wasn’t much of an atmosphere outside NRG, with rain on and off throughout the day washing out any pregame festivities in the lots.

Most of the region was under a tornado watch throughout the afternoon and into the evening. At least a quarter-inch of rain had fallen by kickoff, according to National Weather Service data at Bush Intercontinental.

Leaky roof

There were reports from field level, which was restricted to most media pregame, that some water was leaking through the NRG Stadium roof and dripping down to the field. The site in question was near Michigan end zone on south end of stadium.

The teams

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is the Heisman Trophy runner-up and the first player to throw for 4,500 yards in back-to-back seasons since Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes in 2015-16. He passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-31 semifinal win over Texas.

Michigan has the nation’s top defense, allowing 250 yards and 10.2 points per game. The Wolverines have surrendered only seven touchdowns through the air, fewest in the country. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is 26-1 as the starter. Michigan won its semifinal against Alabama 27-20 in overtime.