Admit it, you didn’t think they would do it.
Is not TCU, the team seemingly everyone outside of Fort Worth, Texas, has predicted to lose week after week. Oh sure, the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl would be a good one, but did TCU really win?! Is not. Michigan will roll.
Instead, it rolled over.
Few, if any, have given TCU #3 many chances to be here, and that might be enough impetus for the Frogs to advance to the CFP national championship game where they will face off against a rival. national champion needle and number 1 Georgia on January 9 at the SoFi Stadium. After a remarkable comeback against fourth-placed Ohio State in the CFP Semi-Final at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Georgia could become the first show to win consecutive national titles since Alabama. in the year 2011-2012. Since 1990, the only other schools to win consecutive national titles are Nebraska (1994-95) and USC (2003-04). With Georgia’s win on Saturday, the show matched Alabama 2015-16 for the most wins over a two-season span in SEC history with 28.
No doubt this will be a big test for TCU, who placed 5-7 a year ago and didn’t win the congress title this year, but can’t make it through? The team of underdogs chosen to be seventh in the Big 12 is used to the doubts.
Throughout the season — until the end of time at the Fiesta Bowl — TCU has exceeded expectations. Sure enough, the beloved Frogs captured the nation’s attention, riding on the psychedelic wave of something called Hypnoad. Genuine respect is a little harder to achieve. If consecutive wins over Michigan and Georgia don’t do that, then nothing will.
While Georgia is building the sport’s next dynasty, TCU is trying to win the show’s first national title in 83 years. TCU has a chance to be the first team not to rank in the pre-season AP poll and win the national championship since Georgia Tech in 1990.
Not anyone outside of Fort Worth would give Frog much of a chance to actually do it.
No. 1 Georgia compared to the number 3 TCU
CFP National Championship presented by AT&T
When: Monday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN Apps
Opening line from Caesars Sportsbook: Georgia (-13)
Transfer to:
Trainer | Road to Championship
Main player | X factor
Coaches
1:26
Sonny Dykes discusses why players trusting each other played a big part in TCU’s 51-45 win over Michigan.
Sonny Dykes of TCU: Known for his down-to-earth, down-to-earth personality, Dykes has cast TCU in its brightest light, lifting a team that wasn’t ranked before this season to the national championship game. He’s worked wonders, navigating the Horned Frogs past nail biters and back throughout the season, but on Saturday night, at its most crucial moment, TCU had the upper hand in the game. all four quarters. Dykes, who became the first soccer team head coach in TCU and Big 12 history to start 12-0 in his first season, has assembled a coaching team that outperforms the outside world. Michigan’s margin for most of the game. This is his second time with Frogs, as Dykes was the offensive analyst for the 2017 TCU team that won 11-3 and played for the Big 12 title. Son of a legend. Texas Technology Coach Spike Dykes was hired at TCU after four seasons at SMU, where he led the Mustangs to three consecutive seasons for the first time since the mid-80s and their first back-to-back victory over TCU since 1992-93. If you can’t beat him, hire him.
Smart Georgian Kirby: For seven seasons, Smart has positioned Georgia to be the next Alabama – if it hasn’t already. Smart, currently leading 3-0 in the CFP semifinals, won his 80th game on Saturday, highlighting a resume that includes five SEC East titles and two SEC championships. There’s no bigger win than last year’s win over Alabama, which took home the show’s first national title in 41 years and really started to tilt the balance of power in the SEC. Smart, who spent nine seasons as the defensive coordinator of Alabama coach Nick Saban before he was hired at Georgia, brought Saban’s championship blueprint to Athens. He’s grown the culture, got the top three in his class to sign the show’s seventh contract, and put the show in a position to win it all — again.
How did they get here?
TCU: The Horned Frogs were chosen for seventh place — seventh! — in the Big 12. Instead, Frogs became the first Big 12 team since 2009 to complete the regular season with a 12-0 record, but that rarely comes easily. The Horned Frogs have been a constant disaster, winning five games this season while trailing after halftime, but finished the regular season flawlessly. Despite the heroic effort from the midfielder Max DuganTCU lost Kansas State 31-28 in extra time in the Big 12 championship match. However, The Frogs couldn’t have chosen a better way to lose — a close game against a ranked opponent they had beaten for the season. usually, common, normal. TCU can still boast of a victory over the Big 12 champions, an important statement to impress the selection committee and maintain 3rd place without a congress title. Dykes has elevated Frogs’ fouling to one of the best in the nation and Duggan has emerged as one of the deepest passing players with 13 finishes at least 50 yards in the lead. FBS head.
Last National Title: 1938
Georgia: After winning the show’s first national title since the 1980 season, the question immediately arose whether Georgia could do it again — this time without five NFL draft players in the first round. first has left the defense. Well, the Bulldogs are here again, one step away. It started at the season opener with a complete defeat of Oregon in a 49-3 win, which continued to resonate through Selection Day. When the Bulldogs beat then-No. 1 Tennessee on November 5, they established themselves as the clear No. 1 team in the eyes of the selection committee and never gave anyone a reason to doubt it. With a 50-30 margin win over LSU in the SEC title match, Georgia once again cemented its place in the CFP thanks to another stellar defense and midfield leadership. Stetson Bennett. The defense reached the semi-finals with the second least points per game in FBS.
Last National Title: 2021
Main player
1:27
Stetson Bennett couldn’t find the words to say after Georgia escaped with a miraculous victory over Ohio State.
TCU: qb Max Dugan. He started the season as TCU’s backup quarterback and is headed for the national championship as Heisman runner-up. It’s an unlikely story that mirrors the team’s story, as Frogs are very difficult to take down. Duggan, who leads the Big 12 in passes and passes, is one of the hardest to defend in the country because of his sheer will as well as his ability to combine running and deep pitching. His 76-yard touchdown pass for Quentin Johnson Saturday was the longest reception Michigan has been allowed to since 2019. He went into the game making just four interceptions all season but throwing two in the Michigan net.
Georgia: qb Stetson Bennett. His journey from first place in 2017 to last year’s national championship MVP is well-documented, but his story is far from over. Finalist Heisman Trophy enters a second straight national championship with a 28-3 record as a Georgia starter and has the experience advantage after TCU’s Duggan last season. Bennett’s poise and confidence were crucial to Georgia’s success, and he was motivated — undeterred — by opponents throughout his career. He set the school record for most finishes in a season, and he also made seven hasty touchdowns. If there’s nothing left to prove, Bennett enters the national championship game with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions this year.
The match worth watching: TCU’s attack vs. Georgia’s defense
If TCU has any chance to upset, they’re going to have to win this battle to give Duggan time to make plays and set up his running game. Ohio State has found a way to go big in its ongoing game against Georgia, and TCU is certainly capable of doing so, but the Frogs can’t be one-sided.
Georgia entered Saturday night with one of the top rushing defenses in the country, holding off opponents to 2.9 yards per take and making just five hasty touchdowns.
X factor
TCU WR Quentin Johnston. Standing 6 foot-4, weighing 215 pounds, Johnston created confrontational problems for the defense and became a prime target for Duggan with his ability to increase in size after catching the ball. With another 163 yards against Michigan, Johnston entered the national title with a team-best 1,066 yards, 59 catches and six touchdowns – impressive numbers despite missing two games with an ankle injury. high legs. He has allowed the Frogs to stretch the field, and some of his best performances have come against the toughest opponents. His clutch touch is caught at Kansas gave Frogs the lead after less than four minutes of play. The following week, he did it again in the previous double overtime victory Oklahoma State. Johnston is a first-round NFL draft prospect who could be the first recipient off the board.
Georgia: DT Jalen Carter: There’s a picture from the SEC championship game that summarizes the devastation Carter can do to a quarterback — not that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will need it to remember. Pictured, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive player is hugging Daniels easily with his left arm like a toy, while raising his right hand in a signal of 1. That’s exactly what it is. where he could be enlisted, as Mel Kiper Jr. there is Carter predicted to be the #1 overall choice. In the six games leading up to Saturday night’s semi-final, Carter made 24 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, three holsters and a couple of clumsy catches.
