Last year, Georgia leant heavily on their impressive defense to avenge their Conference Finals loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the National Championship Game by a scoreline of 33-18.
And now the Bulldogs are back to try and become the first team to win back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championships since the new format was introduced back in 2014.
Standing in their way are one of the biggest underdogs in the history of the NCAAF Playoff Championship Game.
Texas Christian University (TCU) were not given much chance to do well in their Big 12 conference by many pundits at the start of the season, but they produced a stunning campaign, losing just once, to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at both teams in a bit more detail, starting with their background, head coaches and key players, before we take a look at how each reached the final and most important game of the College football season.
Remember, bet365 Sport is offering extensive coverage of the game which kicks off tonight at 12.30am UK time in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
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Bet365 Review
Georgia
- Conference – SEC
- Nickname – Bulldogs
- Head Coach – Kirby Smart (7th year)
- 2021/22 Season Record – 14-1 (National Champions)
- 2022/23 Season Record – 14-0
- AP Ranking – No 1
- National Championships – 3 (1942, 1980, 2021)
- Conference Championships – 16 (SAA 1896, SEC – 1942, 1946, 1948, 1959, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2002, 2005, 2017, 2022)
- Post 2014 Playoff Appearances – 3 (4-1), (2017, 2021, 2022)
2022/23 Roster – Key Players
- Offense – Stetson Bennett (QB), Kenny McIntosh (RB), Brock Bowers (TE), Sedrick Van Pran (C), Ladd McConkey, Kearis Jackson, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (WR)
- Defense – Zion Logue (NT), Jalen Carter (DE), Kelee Ringo, Kamari Lassiter (CB), Malaki Starks, Chris Smith (S), Smael Mondon, Robert Beal Jr (LB)
2022/23 Season Results
- V Oregon (15) – W 49-3
- V Samford – W 33-0
- @ South Carolina (20) – W 48-7
- V Kent State – W 39-22
- @ Missouri – W 26-22
- V Auburn – W 42-10
- V Vanderbilt – W 55-0
- V Florida – W 42-20
- V Tennessee (6) – W 27-13
- @ MS State (24) – W 45-19
- @ Kentucky – W 16-6
- V Georgia Tech – W 37-14
- SEC Championship Game – V LSU (16) – W 50-30
2022/23 CFP Semi Final Result
- Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal) – V Ohio State – W 42-41
Bet365 Odds To Win (Moneyline) – 1/5 fav
After a stunning win in the National Championship Game last season, where they avenged their SEC Championship loss against Alabama, the Bulldogs enjoyed another outstanding year this time going the season unbeaten to claim a 14-0 record heading into their final game of the season.
The chance to become the first back-to-back Champions of the CFB Playoffs since it changed format in 2014 looks well within their grasp and they are the huge odds-on favourites to land the victory.
TCU
- Conference – Big 12
- Nickname – Horned Frogs
- Head Coach – Sonny Dykes (1st year)
- 2021/22 Season Record – 12-1
- 2022/23 Season Record – 5-7
- AP Ranking – No 3
- National Championships – 2 – 1935, 1938
- Conference Championships – 19 – 1920, 1929, 1932, 1938, 1944, 1951, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2022)
- Post 2014 Playoff Appearances – 1 (1-0), (2022)
2022/23 Roster – Key Players
- Offense – Max Duggan (QB), Kendre Miller, Emari Demercado (RB), Savion Williams, Quentin Johnson, Taye Barber (WR), Jared Wiley (TE)
- Defense – Tre’Vius Hodges Tomlinson (CB), Johnny Hodges (LB), Dylan Horton (DL)
2022/23 Season Results
- @ Colorado – W 38-13
- V Tarleton State – W 59-17
- @ SMU – W 42-32
- V Oklahoma – W 55-24
- @ Kansas – W 38-31
- V Oklahoma State – W 43-40 (OT)
- V Kansas State (11) – W 38-28
- @ West Virginia – W 41-31
- V Texas Tech – W 34-24
- @ Texas (21) – W 17-10
- @ Baylor – W 29-28
- V Iowa State – W 62-14
- Big 12 Championship Game – V Kansas State – L 28-31 (OT)
2022/23 CFP Semi Final Result
- Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal) – V Michigan (2) – W 51-45
Bet365 Odds To Win (Moneyline) – 15/4
There’s no doubt that TCU has had an incredible season with Sonny Dykes filling the role left by the legendary Gary Patterson superbly well as the new head coach. They were not expected to compete in the Big 12 this season, let alone earn a Playoff berth and then reach the National Championship game.
They are huge underdogs against the Georgia juggernauts here, but regardless of the result, this has been an incredible season for TCU and one they can look to build on next year.
What Will Be The Key Factors In Tonight’s College Playoff Final?
With the bookmakers making Georgia the big favourites for tonight’s game, what will be the key factors that will likely decide which of the two College teams will be National Champions?
- The Battle of the Two Lines
For many experts, the key to this game will be in the battle between the offensive and defensive lines of both teams against each other.
Georgia’s offensive line looks to be stronger than the TCU defensive line on paper, but TCU dialled up plenty of pressure against Michigan, but there’s no doubt that they will need to raise their game even further against the Bulldogs.
One of the big surprises in TCU’s win over Michigan was how well their offensive line was able to physically handled Michigan. The Wolverines were expected to win this battle, but failed to do so and if TCU can do that against the much vaunted Georgia pass rush then this will be a much closer game than many are expecting.
However, if Georgia can dominate the two lines in the game, then that will give them the foundation for a relatively comfortable success.
- Who Will Step Up at QB?
In Max Duggan (TCU) and Stetson Bennett (Georgia) we have two quarterbacks who will be hoping to be drafted in the forthcoming NFL Draft.
Bennett, now a graduate, is in his final year and has led the Bulldogs offense very well in their unbeaten season so far and his poise and experience will be key on a Georgia offense that has a number of different weapons, which Bennett uses very well.
On the other hand, Duggan was the runner up in the Heisman Trophy voting this year, giving a clear indication of just how much he has developed as a player both as a passer, and a rusher. He will need to lead TCU’s offense by example of the Frogs are to have any chance of success tonight.
Our Predictions And Tips
Here’s our predictions and tips for tonight’s huge College Playoff Final:
All odds shown are courtesy of bet365 Sport and were correct at the time of writing.
- Bet Builder – Match Result will be Georgia, Stetson Bennett over 277.5 passing yards, Kenny McIntosh to score a touchdown – 5/2
- Georgia to win by 13-18 points – 7/2
- Brock Bowers to score a touchdown in the 1st quarter – 4/1
- Score Prediction – Georgia 45-31 TCU
Tune in tonight to see how the action unfolds!
