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Michigan-Washington championship confidential: Five storylines to watch

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

HOUSTON -- Depending on final NFL draft decisions, Michigan and Washington project to be at or near the top in the total number of players picked.

We dove in on the NFL draft numbers earlier this year for both schools. Scouts wrote up 15 players on trips to Seattle this season, with the Huskies likely to have nearly a dozen players drafted. Scouts estimated Michigan would have 14 players picked, as they wrote up enough guys to reach the high teens.

That's a lot of work for scouts and a testament to the rosters assembled and developed by Kalen DeBoer and Jim Harbaugh.

So who will win when the teams face off Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN app)? We went back to NFL executives, scouts and some coaches for the singular factor they believe will decide the game.

Here's how they see Monday night unfolding.