Admit it, you didn’t think they would.
Not TCU, the team that everyone outside of Fort Worth, Texas seems to be, has predicted to lose week in and week out. Oh sure, the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl was going to be a good game, but did TCU actually win?! nope Michigan would roll.
Instead, it rolled over.
Few, if any, gave the No. 3 TCU much of a chance to be here, and that may have been motivation enough for the Frogs to advance to the CFP national championship game, where they defeated the defending champion and No. 1 Georgia will compete at SoFi Stadium. After a remarkable comeback against No. 4 Ohio State in the CFP semifinals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Georgia may become the first program to win back-to-back national titles since Alabama 2011-2012. As of 1990, Nebraska (1994-95) and USC (2003-04) are the only other schools to have won back-to-back national titles. With Georgia’s win on Saturday, the program achieved 28 wins at Alabama in 2015-16, its most wins over a two-season span in SEC history.
There’s no question it will be a monumental challenge for TCU, who went 5-7 a year ago and didn’t win their Conference title game this year, but insurmountable? Picked for seventh place in the Big 12, this team of underdogs are used to doubt.
All season long – up to the clock running out at the Fiesta Bowl – TCU has exceeded expectations. Sure, the beloved frogs have caught the country’s attention by riding the psychedelic wave of something called the Hypnotoad. Sincere respect was a little harder to come by. If back-to-back wins over Michigan and Georgia don’t do it, nothing will.
As Georgia scrambles to build the sport’s next dynasty, TCU is attempting to win the program’s first national title in 83 years. TCU has the opportunity to become the first team not ranked in the AP preseason poll and win the national title since Georgia Tech in 1990.
Not that anyone outside of Fort Worth would give the frogs much of a chance to actually do it.
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 TCU
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
When: Monday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
From where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
How to see: ESPN and ESPN App
Opening line from Caesars Sportsbook: Georgia (-13)
Jump to:
Trainers | Paths to Mastery
Main Actors | X Factors
The trainers
1:26
Sonny Dykes discusses why the players who believed in each other played a big factor in TCU’s 51-45 win over Michigan.
TCU’s Sonny Dykes: Known for his down-to-earth, unassuming personality, Dykes has catapulted TCU into the brightest lights, elevating a team that didn’t get ranked this preseason to the national championship game. He’s been magic and led the Horned Frogs through nail biters and comebacks all season, but on Saturday night, when it mattered most, TCU had the upper hand in all four quarters. Dykes, who became the first head football coach in TCU and Big 12 history to start 12-0 in his freshman season, assembled a staff that overtook Michigan’s touchline for most of the game. It’s his second stint with the Frogs, as Dykes was an offensive analyst on the 2017 TCU team that went 11-3 and was playing for the Big 12 title. The son of legendary Texas Tech coach, Spike Dykes, was hired after four seasons at SMU, where he led the Mustangs to three straight wins for the first time since the mid-’80s and their first straight wins against TCU since 1992- 93 If you can’t beat him, hire him.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart: In seven seasons, Smart has propelled Georgia into becoming the next Alabama — if it isn’t already. Smart, now 3-0 in the CFP semifinals, won his 80th game on Saturday, highlighting a tally that includes five SEC East titles and two SEC championships. No win was bigger than last year’s win over Alabama, which gave the program its first national title in 41 years and really started to tip the balance of power in the SEC. Smart, who spent nine seasons as Alabama coach Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator before being hired by Georgia, took Saban’s championship plan with him to Athens. He developed the culture, lured him into the program’s seventh top 3 undersigned class, and positioned the program to win it all – again.
How they got here
TCU: The Horned Frogs were picked to take seventh place – seventh! — in the Big 12. Instead, the Frogs became the first Big 12 team since 2009 to finish the regular season with a 12-0 record, but it was rarely easy. The Horned Frogs have repeatedly flirted with disaster, winning five games by deficit at halftime this season but ending the regular season on perfection. Despite a heroic performance from quarterback Max Duggan, TCU lost the Big 12 championship game to Kansas State 31-28 in overtime. However, the Frogs couldn’t have picked a better way to lose – a close game against a ranked opponent they defeated during the regular season. TCU nonetheless boasted a win over the Big 12 champions, a key claim in impressing the selection committee and maintaining their No. 3 ranking without a conference title. Dykes has elevated the Frogs’ offense to one of the best in the nation, and Duggan has become one of the most prolific deep ball passers with 13 completions for at least 50 yards leading FBS.
Last national title: 1938
1 relatives
Georgia: After winning the program’s first national title since the 1980 season, questions immediately arose about whether Georgia could do it again — this time without five first-round NFL draft picks that left the defense. Well, here the Bulldogs are again, one step away. It started in the season opener with a 49-3 win over Oregon that resonated through selection day. When the Bulldogs defeated then, No. 1 Tennessee on November 5, they established themselves as the clear No. 1 team in the eyes of the selection committee and gave no one reason to doubt it. With a comfortable 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC championship game, Georgia once again cemented its place in the CFP thanks to another outstanding defense and quarterback Stetson Bennett’s lead. The defense advanced to the semifinals, allowing for the second fewest points per game in the FBS.
Last national title: 2021
key figures
1:27
Stetson Bennett is at a loss for words after Georgia escaped with a miraculous victory over Ohio State.
TCU: QB Max Duggan. He started the season as TCU’s backup quarterback and goes to the national championship game as runner-up to Heisman. It’s an unlikely story that mirrors that of the entire team as the frogs were so difficult to bring down. Duggan, who led the Big 12 in passing yards and passing touchdowns, was one of the most difficult to defend players in the country due to his will and combined ability to run and throw the deep ball. His 76-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnson on Saturday was the longest reception Michigan has allowed since 2019. He entered the game having thrown just four interceptions all season but two against Michigan.
Georgia: QB Stetson Bennett. His journey from a walk-on in 2017 to last year’s national championship MVP is well documented, but his story doesn’t end there. The Heisman Trophy finalist goes into his second straight national championship with a 28-3 record as Georgia’s starter and a lead in postseason experience against TCU’s Duggan. Bennett’s poise and confidence were critical to Georgia’s success, and he’s been propelled — not deterred — by the naysayers throughout his career. He set the school record for graduations in a season and scored seven rushing touchdowns. With little or nothing left to prove, Bennett is entering the national championship game after throwing 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions that year.
Matchup to watch: TCU’s offensive line vs. Georgia’s defensive line
If TCU wants any chance of excitement, they need to win this fight to give Duggan time to make plays and establish his running game. Ohio State has found ways to make big plays in the passing game against Georgia, and TCU certainly has the ability, but the Frogs can’t get one-dimensional.
Georgia came out with one of the best rushing defenses in the country Saturday night, keeping opponents at 2.9 yards per carry and just five rushing touchdowns.
X Factors
TCU WR Quentin Johnston. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Johnston has created matchup problems for defense and emerged as Duggan’s top target with the ability to rack up yards after catches. With another 163 receiving yards against Michigan, Johnston goes into the national title game with a team-best 1,066 yards, 59 catches and six touchdown receptions – impressive numbers despite missing two games with an ankle injury. He has allowed the Frogs to expand the field and some of his best performances have come against the stiffest of competition. His clutch touchdown catch in Kansas put the Frogs ahead with just under four minutes left. He did it again the following week with a double win in overtime against Oklahoma State. Johnston is a first-round NFL draft pick who could be the first receiver off the board.
Georgia: DT Jalen Carter: There’s a photo from the SEC championship game that sums up the havoc Carter can wreak on a quarterback — not that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels needs to remember. In the picture, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defenseman effortlessly holds Daniels in his left arm like a toy while holding his right hand up, signaling the number 1. He could be drafted right there as Mel Kiper Jr. has projected Carter as the No. 1 overall pick. In the six games leading up to Saturday night’s semifinals, Carter had 24 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.