Michigan and Washington had met in four previous Rose Bowls (1978, 1981, 1992, 1993) in the traditional matchup between Big Ten and Pac-8/10 champions.

Penix was intercepted on the first play of the second half, giving Michigan possession near the red zone and ultimately leading to a 38-yard field goal.

Washington scored another field goal but a second Penix interception and a turnover on downs by the Huskies in the fourth quarter led to two more Michigan touchdowns, both rushes by Blake Corum, the eventual offensive most valuable player (MVP).

[4][5] Houston was the tenth city to host the College Football Playoff National Championship (after Arlington, Glendale, Tampa, Atlanta, Santa Clara, New Orleans, Miami Gardens, Indianapolis, and Inglewood).

The top-ranked Wolverines held a three-point lead at halftime but trailed by seven points with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The game was tied when Roman Wilson caught a touchdown pass from J. J. McCarthy and James Turner's extra point was good, and it went into overtime after neither team was able to score in the remaining minute and a half.

[25] Michigan and Washington had met four times at the Rose Bowl (1978, 1981, 1992, 1993) in the traditional matchup between the Big Ten and Pac–8/10 champion; this would be the fifth postseason meeting between the teams and the first outside of Pasadena.

[30] Their first inter-conference game took place at Husky Stadium in Seattle on October 5, 2024;[31] Washington won the rematch in an upset by a score of 27–17.

He finished runner-up to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and ahead of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.[38] Michigan finished the regular season with a perfect 12–0 record, having concluded their Big Ten schedule with a rivalry win over Ohio State, 30–24.

Connor Stalions, a Michigan football staffer, was cited by allegations as having attended more than 35 games to scout future opponents.

He had previously served a suspension for the team's first three games of the season, against East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green, as the result of a self-imposed sanction regarding recruiting violations.

The pregame coin toss was won by Washington, who deferred their choice to the second half, thereby giving Michigan possession of the ball to begin the game.

[54] Washington kicker Grady Gross began the game as the opening kickoff was returned by Michigan's Semaj Morgan to the Wolverines' 16-yard line.

The Wolverines traveled 84 yards over the course of eight plays en route to the game's opening touchdown, scored on a 41-yard rush by running back Donovan Edwards.

With 3:46 remaining in the opening quarter, quarterback J. J. McCarthy completed a pass to wide receiver Roman Wilson for a 37-yard gain, and Edwards scored on a 46-yard touchdown rush just over a minute later.

Washington was unable to respond as a rush for no gain by Dillon Johnson and an incomplete pass forced the contest's first three-and-out.

[54] Following the long rush, Michigan was unable to gain a first down; Turner kicked a 31-yard field goal on 4th & 4 to extend his team's lead to fourteen points 1:29 into the second quarter.

Washington's ensuing drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Michigan 47-yard line following an incomplete pass thrown by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. that was intended for wide receiver Rome Odunze.

After UW received the ball to begin the half, Penix threw a pass which was intended for Tybo Rogers but was intercepted by cornerback Will Johnson at the Washington 32-yard line.

Michigan broke the streak with a five-play drive that began with a 41-yard pass by McCarthy to tight end Colston Loveland and resulted in a 12-yard touchdown rush by Corum with 7:09 remaining in the contest.

The next fourth down conversion attempt resulted in an interception by defensive back Mike Sainristil, who returned the pass 81 yards to the Washington 8-yard line.

Corum scored his second touchdown with a 1-yard rush two plays later, and Turner added the extra point to give Michigan a 34–13 lead.

Those were the game's final points; Washington's last drive ended on an incomplete pass intended for Devin Culp on 4th & 10 from the UW 31-yard line that resulted in a turnover on downs.

In addition to the main national broadcast on ESPN, the Megacast coverage featured Field Pass hosted by The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN2, the Command Center feed with multiple angles and live statistics on ESPNU, the Skycast on ESPNews, and a Spanish-language broadcast on ESPN Deportes.

The ESPN Radio call featured play-by-play commentary from Sean McDonough, analysis from Greg McElroy, and sideline reporting from Ian Fitzsimmons and Kris Budden.

The Spanish-language commentary team of Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Katia Castorena and Sebastian Christensen featured on the ESPN Deportes telecast,[56] while ESPN Brazil's Portuguese-language broadcast featured Matheus Pinheiro, Weinny Eirado, Deivis Chiodini and Giane Pessoa.

[56] Michigan's win gave them a 15–0 record to finish the season, making them the fourth NCAA FBS national champion to achieve the feat (after 2018 Clemson, 2019 LSU, and 2022 Georgia).

[62] Michigan running back Blake Corum and cornerback Will Johnson were named offensive and defensive MVPs, respectively.