Washington vs. Michigan Anytime TD Scorers: National Championship Picks for Blake Corum, Ja’Lynn Polk
Getty Images. Design by Matt Roembke/Action Network. Pictured: Michigan’s Blake Corum (left) and Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk.
Monday's National Championship between Washington and Michigan should have no shortage of scoring. With an over/under hovering around 55.5, plenty of points are expected.
But who exactly will those touchdowns come from? Action Network's Gilles Gallant has an idea.
With no Monday Night Football in the NFL this week, Gallant pivoted to the college football side to see where the touchdown value lies in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.
He came through with two anytime touchdown picks for Washington vs. Michigan, including a best bet for both sides. One happens to be a star running back who could find the end zone twice, while the other is a wideout who's a member of the country's deepest wide receiver corps.
So, be sure to check out both of Gallant's anytime touchdown bets for the Washington vs. Michigan National Championship below.
Initially, my instinct was to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to sneak one in at +245, but the only conclusion I kept coming to was Blake Corum to score two touchdowns at +150.
On paper, this would seem like a pretty obvious angle for ATD scorers, but the Huskies also struggle against the run and allowed 21 rushing touchdowns in 13 games this season.
They kept Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers from creating explosive touchdowns in the College Football Playoff semifinals, but once the Longhorns got into the red zone, they buried Washington with three rushing scores from inside the five-yard line.
Now, the Huskies are facing a Michigan team that relies even less on the explosive pass and more on the ground-and-pound run game — especially in the red zone, where 31 of Michigan's 45 red-zone touchdowns came on the ground.
Enter Corum.
The Wolverines will likely lean on Corum as much as possible to reduce potential mistakes — McCarthy interceptions — in the red zone against a strong Washington secondary. This should help to control the clock and keep the Huskies' explosive offense off the field.
It’s a square pick, but when a dude scores two touchdowns against Alabama and has multiple touchdowns in six straight games and 10-of-14 games overall, you don’t get cute. I also wouldn’t be mad if you sprinkled 3+ TDs at +450 either.
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The Wolverines' defensive line will likely dictate a lot of this outcome. Most of Alabama's offensive linemen are the size of NFL players, and Michigan bullied that group for five sacks.
The Huskies' quick passing offense should help alleviate some of that, but it may be an issue early in the game. That’s why I think you could look at all Washington pass-catchers for live touchdown plays, as I’m doubtful the Huskies' run game will be effective.
I could see the Huskies playing catch-up late to tie the game or even come back from multiple scores.
I was shocked to see that Ja’Lynn Polk had +210 odds. He’s second on the team with nine touchdowns, scored in the CFP semis against Texas and has been consistently featured in this offense with 4.8 catches per game.
The reason I’m leaning toward Polk is his big-play ability, as he’s had catches of 25 yards or more in 10 of his 13 games this season. Plus, five of his nine touchdowns have come from at least 25 yards out.
If you can find plus-money odds on Rome Odunze, grab it. But Polk is the player I’ll fire on at this price.
Get your Ja'Lynn Polk ATD wager in on FanDuel plus get up to $150 in bonus bets when you sign up as a new user!
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