Bob Mondello, who jokes that he was a jinx at the beginning of his critical career — hired to write for every small paper that ever folded in Washington, just as it was about to collapse — saw that jinx broken in 1984 when he came to NPR.
It's Michigan vs. Alabama and Washington vs. Texas for the final season of the four-team college football playoff format, before the tournament grows to a field of 12 next year.