The 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship matchup has been determined. Do not. 1 Georgia will be number one. 3 TCU at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday. It’s a David showdown. The defending champion Bulldogs have a Giants battle with the Horned Frogs, who are seen as the biggest hope of the four teams entering the CFP this season.
Georgia comes here with a thrilling 42-41 comeback victory over the top-ranked game. 4. Ohio State in the Peach Bowl semifinals. The Bulldogs found themselves trailing 38-24 entering the fourth quarter, but they scored three times to bounce back and win. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV found wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown and completed five 72-yard drives with 54 seconds remaining. Bennett finished the game with 398 passing yards and three touchdowns, doing most of his work in the fourth quarter. It was only the second time this season that the Dawgs found themselves in a one-score game.
TCU enters title contention after suffering the biggest upset in postseason history. Frogs beat No. 2 Michigan 51-45 An eight-point underdog in a wild Fiesta Bowl, the Frogs cut an 18-point lead to just three early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Max Duggan had two interceptions and completed just 14 of 29 passes for 225 yards, but his key move was enough to give the offense a chance. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston caught six passes for 163 yards, and TCU’s defense had two six picks. TCU’s win was the first for a Big 12 team in the CFP.
Before our CBS Sports college football experts offer their first-look picks for the game, let’s take a look at where each team leads the CFP National Championship.
Do not. 1 Georgia (14-0), Peach Bowl winners
Georgia should be here. The Docs won their first national title since 1980 last year and begin the 2022 season as one of the favorites to do it again. They’ve done what’s expected of them, even when things look a little different. Georgia had what many consider to be one of the greatest defenses in college football history last season as it dominated opponents. This year, the Dawgs’ defense remains one of the best in the country, but it’s barely dominated.
A few times this season it looked like Georgia was toying with its food. After announcing his return in a 49-3 win over Oregon State in the season opener, the Dodgers struggled against Kent State, Missouri State and Kentucky. When it came time to get down to business, however, Georgia was back and forth. It beat rival Auburn, ended Tennessee’s dream of a perfect season, beat Florida State again, and scored 50 points against LSU in the SEC championship game. After beating Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, Georgia has a chance to become the first team to win back-to-back national titles since Alabama (2010-11) and the first to do so in the CFP era team.
Do not. 3 TCU (13-1), Fiesta Cup champions
You know that team that always tells you, “No one believes in us,” even though they’ve won multiple conference titles and are favorites to do so again this year? Well, if the frog tells you that no one believes them, believe it. No one believed them. TCU fired longtime coach Gary Patterson last year after going 5-7. Sonny Dykes took over the program from SMU across town, and the Frogs start 2022 unranked with very low expectations. They started the season with three straight wins against a lackluster non-conference roster. It didn’t get any respect until TCU beat No. 19 Oklahoma 55-24.
TCU debuts. The following week was No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and did nothing but move up from there. The win over Oklahoma was the first of four straight wins over ranked opponents. TCU had its fifth win over a top-ranked team in mid-November when it beat Texas 17-10 on the road. The Frogs are masters of comebacks, often getting knocked to the mat, then bouncing back and fighting until their opponent finally collapses. Dugan started the season as a backup, but an injury to quarterback Chandler Morris left the door wide open for Dugan to reclaim the job — and he never let up. Dugan finished the season as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and his resilience perfectly mirrored the Froggers as a whole. Now, a team that started the season lowly and shouldn’t be here has a chance to shock the world yet again.
Georgia vs. TCU early picks, forecast
Do not. 1 Georgia started with a 13-point lead. 3 TCU in Los Angeles, according to Caesars Sportsbook.