After a wild College Football season, we are down to the final two. Georgia will take on TCU in the national championship, and here is what to expect.
Betting Line
The College Football Playoff national championship will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 9. It will be held in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. No. 1 Georgia takes on No. 3 TCU.
- Spread Favorite: Georgia (-13.5)
- Moneyline: Georgia (-529), TCU (+394)
- Total: 62.5 points
These are the betting lines as of Tuesday, January 2nd. TCU comes in as big dogs against the Georgia Bulldogs. It will take another good game from TCU to win the national championship. This will be the fifth matchup featuring the Bulldogs and Horned Frogs. Georgia is 4-0 in the head-to-head, with their last matchup taking place in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 30, 2016.
TCU
The Horned Frogs come in off a very impressive win over Michigan. TCU will now make the title game after pulling off the biggest upset in playoff history. The Frogs won 51-45 in a wild Fiesta Bowl that might go down as one of, if not the best Fiesta Bowl ever. Max Duggan did not have the best of games stat wise, but he kept drives alive and made big plays when they were needed. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston caught six passes for 163 yards. The TCU 3-3-5 stack did a good job of confusing Michigan’s Oline. The defense also did a good job forcing JJ McCarthy to make a lot of plays, as they were able to force two interceptions for touchdowns. TCU did a good job to not let Michigan dictate the pace. TCU’s win was the first win by a Big 12 team in the CFP.
To win this upcoming game, TCU will need to do a lot of what it did last week and all season. Georgia is as “weak” as it has ever been on the back end defensively, but they are still good. If TCU can score like they did against Michigan, they will have a good shot. The big thing is the defense and health of Kendre Miller. If the defense can get a few stops, it might be all the TCU offense needs. If TCU wants any hope of winning, they will need to force a takeaway or two. Kendre Miller sustained a knee injury against Michigan. As of now there is no idea for sure if he will play or not. He is a huge part of this offense, so they will hope to have him out there.
A national championship would mean the world for TCU. It would be the Horned Frogs’ first national championship since 1938, and the third in their program. But it would represent so much more. TCU would be the first team in the Playoff era to not have a “Blue Chip Ratio” above 50 percent (only 17 of TCU’s 85 scholarship players are former four- or five-star recruits).
Georgia
After a close 42-41 victory as the clock struck midnight for 2023, the Bulldogs found themselves in contention to go back to back. Georgia did what it was supposed to all season, and now the team finds itself just one win away from being unbeaten and back to back national championships. This year, the Bulldogs defense is still one of the best in the country, but it has not been nearly as dominant. There were times this season when it looked like Georgia was playing with its food. After a 49-3 beatdown win over Oregon in the season-opener, the Bulldogs messed around in games against Kent State, Missouri, and Kentucky. Georgia would handle business and go on to win the game, but there have been times they seem asleep at the wheel.
To win this game, Georgia just has to take it seriously and play hard for a full 60 minutes. Georgia clearly has more of the talent, so they need to prove it. Letting this TCU team hang around will give them hope, and TCU has done well with some hope this season. If Georgia prepares correctly, they should be able to potentially get back to back national championship victories.
What to Expect from Georgia vs TCU
When it comes to the game, there is so much to be excited about. There are two exciting quarterbacks on both sides who will make two to three big plays each. TCU has a dominant first round wide receiver, while Georgia has the best tight end in the country. I expect this game to be somewhere in the high 20’s to 30’s for each team. I think TCU can cover the spread, but winning might be the hard part. This should be an exciting game to end the College football season.
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