Georgia vs TCU NCAAF Championship Odds and Preview

The 2022 college football playoff provided spectators with two of the most exciting semifinal games of all-time. Now, the winners of those contests come together for a compelling title game that features the defending champs and an unlikely Cinderella squad. As expected, the NCAAF championship odds favor the Georgia Bulldogs over the TCU Horned Frogs.

College football futures did not see this national title matchup coming. While Georgia opened among the favorites, TCU was not on any of the NCAAF championship odds boards to start the season. That said, if this title game is anything like the semifinals, it’ll be one of the most memorable ever. 

Georgia enters the College Football Playoff national championship game as heavy favorites over TCU. According to ESPN, the 13-point line stands as the largest point spread for a College Football Playoff or BCS Championship Game ever, topping the Miami-Ohio State spread of 12 points in 2002’s BCS title game.

The Bulldogs hope to become the first team in CFP history to win back-to-back national titles. Should the Horned Frogs steal a victory, it’ll be the program’s first national title since 1938 and its third all-time. 

The national championship game will take place on Monday, January 9th, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 PM with ESPN broadcasting the game. 

The Georgia Bulldogs stood among the favorites to win the national title entering the season and played most of the year as the top-ranked team. The Bulldogs beat top-10 teams Oregon and Tennessee this season, then trounced LSU for their first SEC championship since 2017. In doing so, they became just the fourth school to grab in the No. 1 seed in the field, joining Alabama, Clemson, and LSU. 

But the national semifinal provided some unexpected drama for Georgia, as the Bulldogs staged an improbable comeback from down 14 points entering the fourth quarter to Ohio State. Heisman finalist Stetson Bennett spurred Georgia’s rally, going 23-of-34 for 398 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Bennett took home MVP honors for the game once the Buckeyes’ potential game-winning field goal sailed wide. 

Georgia holds a significant talent advantage in this one, with a ton a future pros on the field. The Bulldogs enter this one 5-0 against the spread when favored by less than 21 points this season. Georgia also posted a 3-1 mark against the spread in their four games versus ranked opponents. 

TCU crashed the CFP party this season, and further cemented their Cinderella status by upsetting the Michigan Wolverines 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl. That back-and-forth battle featured a 44-point third quarter in one of the most compelling college football contests in a long time. With two interception returns for touchdowns on defense, the Horned Frogs managed the upset behind a solid effort from Heisman finalist Max Duggan.

College football championship odds did not have TCU on its radar to start the season, and it took five weeks for the Horned Frogs to receive a top-25 ranking. From there, though, TCU surged up the board, defying NCAAF championship odds along the way. 

For the Horned Frogs to finish their unlikely run with a championship, it’ll take another game-changing performance from its defense. While replicating two pick-sixes will be difficult, the talent disparity in this matchup needs all the lucky breaks like that to go TCU’s way. That said, the Horned Frogs enjoyed their time as underdogs this season, going 3-0 outright and against the spread versus Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas.