The Georgia Bulldogs are headed to the College Football Playoff title game for a second-straight year. The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs will face No. 3 Texas Christian University (TCU) on Jan. 9, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Georgia defeated No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl on Saturday night. The Horned Frogs upset No. 2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl, beating the Wolverines 51-45.
The opening odds for this year’s title game were not kind to TCU. The Bulldogs opened as 13.5-point favorites against the Horned Frogs, coached by Sonny Dykes.
“We said it a million times, but look, we were picked seventh in the preseason poll in the Big 12. So, at some point, you kind of just quit listening to what everybody says and it doesn’t really affect you,” Dykes said after the Fiesta Bowl, per 247Sports. Let’s just say this, we know we’re going to hear it again. It’s not going to stop now. You know what I’m saying? We’re going to play again in 10 days, and we’re going to hear the same crap for 10 days that we heard leading up to this ballgame (against Michigan).”
TCU enters the contest against the defending national champions with a 13-1 record. The Horned Frogs’ only loss this season came Dec. 3, in the Big 12 title game when No. 17 Kansas State exacted revenge on TCU for a loss earlier this season. The Wildcats defeated the Horned Frogs 31-28 in overtime to win the Big 12.
TCU is led by Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan. The senior quarterback has impressed in his final year by completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,546 yards, 32 TDs and six INTs. Duggan has also rushed for 461 yards and eight scores in 2022.
The Horned Frogs seem like a team of destiny, especially after not even being ranked at the start of the year. They clearly are battle-tested, too, after having won several games in the fourth quarter alone and multiple one-score contests this season.
TCU’s success definitely has captured the attention of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who recently spoke to ESPN’s College GameDay on the Bulldogs’ upcoming matchup against them.
“They’ve had a ton of comebacks and really tight ballgames,” Smart said. “Our team has come back and fought in the fourth quarter. I think when you start looking at the character and identity of these two teams, they mirror each other in terms of the leadership at the quarterback position and the heart and soul of the team.”
Despite Georgia being nearly a 14-point favorite, the matchup is intriguing, especially to Dykes, who knows that Smart and the Bulldogs will bring their A-game.
“A great combination of size and speed,” Dykes said of Georgia. “They’ve been on this stage before, they’re accustomed to it. I’m sure they’re going to come in with a lot of confidence. The great thing about our group is we have a lot of confidence as well.”
Georgia and TCU will kick off at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 9, on ESPN.