College Football National Championship 2023: Top Storylines for Georgia vs. TCU
The 2022 college football season has come down to this: Georgia, the defending national champion, and TCU, a surprise underdog, battling it out for the national title.
The No. 1 Bulldogs and the No. 3 Horned Frogs are set to face off Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Georgia is looking to win its second consecutive title, while TCU is aiming to become the national champion for the first time since the 1938 season.
Both teams pulled out narrow victories in the CFP semifinals on Dec. 31. The Bulldogs notched a 42-41 win over No. 4 Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, while the Horned Frogs defeated No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl.
What's in store for the CFP National Championship Game? Here are some of the top storylines for this highly anticipated matchup between the two best teams in the country this season.
A Showdown of Experienced Quarterbacks
No matter which team has the ball, an experienced quarterback will be on the field. Georgia's Stetson Bennett is wrapping up his sixth college season, while Max Duggan has been a four-year starter at TCU. Both will be part of the 2023 NFL draft class, and they were each among the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy this season (which was won by USC quarterback Caleb Williams).
Bennett led the Bulldogs to the national championship at the end of the 2021 campaign, but he's been even more productive this season. The 25-year-old has passed for 3,823 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also scoring eight rushing TDs.
Duggan was productive throughout his first three years of college, but he's taken his game to another level this season. The 21-year-old has passed for 3,546 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also rushing for 461 yards and eight TDs.
It should be entertaining to watch these two talented quarterbacks battle it out, but only one of them will help guide their team to a national title.
The Difficulty of Repeating as Champion
Georgia will have an opportunity to join an exclusive club on Monday night. The Bulldogs could become back-to-back national champions, something that's happened only eight times since the AP Poll began. It's never occurred during the CFP era (since 2014) as the most recent repeat champion was Alabama, who won titles in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
After winning a national championship in the 1980 campaign, Georgia took quite a while before getting back to that level. But head coach Kirby Smart has built the Bulldogs into a powerhouse in recent years through strong recruiting, and they're now a perennial contender.
It should help that some of Georgia's players have already participated in a CFP National Championship Game last year. They know what it takes to win the biggest game of the season.
However, it's still challenging to emerge victorious at this stage in successive years, hence why it hasn't happened too often. But the Bulldogs appear to have the talent to potentially pull off this feat.
What Are the Chances of a Big Upset?
Although TCU has had a successful season while going 13-1, it's a clear underdog in Monday's matchup. Because Georgia (14-0) has more former top recruits and has experienced more recent success, the Bulldogs are the large betting favorite.
If the Horned Frogs win, it'll mark a substantial upset. So, can they pull it off?
It's been a surprise season for TCU, which has greatly outperformed initial expectations in its first year under head coach Sonny Dykes. The Horned Frogs have played a plethora of close games, but they have a knack for winning them, with nine of their 13 victories coming by 10 or fewer points. Their lone loss was a 31-28 overtime defeat vs. Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Georgia appears to be the better team on paper, but it's nothing new for TCU to be projected to lose by many. So don't be surprised if the Horned Frogs play yet another competitive contest and give the Bulldogs a fight on Monday night.