2023 CFP National Championship Full Game Preview
- Date: Monday, Jan. 9, 2023
- Kick-off: 7:30 E.T.
- Stadium: So-Fi Stadium, Inglewood, California
- How To Watch: ESPN
- Record: Georgia (14-0) vs. TCU (13-1)
After arguably the greatest College Football Playoff semifinals ever, we are on the cusp of crowning a national champion yet again. Will it be the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs, or the Big-12 runner-up and Cinderella team TCU Horned Frogs? Both teams have a lot going for them and even more on the line, and Los Angles is set for an epic clash of the titans. Here is out 2023 CFB National Championship preview.
TCU is looking to be the first Big-12 team to ever win the College Football national championship under the Playoff era, and the first since Texas in 2005. There have only been six schools to play for a national championship in the CFP: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, and Oregon. TCU now joins that illustrious list. Could they be the biggest spoiler in Playoff history?
Meanwhile, Georgia is looking to become the first back-to-back national champion in the Playoff era and the first since Alabama in 2011-12. They completely reloaded on defense and have the players in place to repeat as champions. Coach Kirby Smart has this team firing on all cylinders and is looking to cement his place among the all-time greats with another championship victory.
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are coming into the 2023 CFB National Championship as HEAVY underdogs, currently sitting at +12.5. The odds mean nothing to Sonny Dykes and his program, as they were +7.5 against the Michigan Wolverines and they pulled off the upset to punch their ticket to the title game.
Heisman finalist Max Duggan has this offense humming, finishing the year as the eighth-best scoring offense in points per game at 41.1 and 13th in total offense, averaging 474.1 yards per game. They have a stallion on the outside in Quentin Johnston, regarded as one of the best receivers in the nation and is in the conversation to be WR1 in the 2023 NFL Draft. If there was an offense to outscore this Bulldogs team this year, this is the unit to do so.
History has been kind to TCU, but not to underdogs in a title game. The Horned Frogs are 5-1 in their last six bowl games, 7-2 in their last nine, and 12-3 in their last 15 dating back to 2001. This team knows how to step up their game come bowl season. Their three losses since 2001 have all come by seven points or fewer. This TCU team is looking to win their first national championship since 1938, their only title.
However, underdogs in the Playoff era have not fared well, having only won just eight of the prior 23 games. The only two national champions who won while underdogs were Ohio State over Oregon and Clemson over Alabama. Could TCU be the team of destiny and be the biggest underdog to win it all?
Georgia Bulldogs
As alluded to before, the Georgia Bulldogs are the huge favorites in this game and are receiving over 70% of the bets to win it all. Smart also has a Heisman finalist in Stetson Bennett playing the best ball of his career. With future NFL stud Brock Bowers at TE, talented depth at running back and an NFL-ready prospect at tackle in Broderick Jones, this offense can also compete with the best of them.
But the focus of this Bulldogs team isn’t the offense, it’s the defense that’s the story of this team.
Last year, this Georgia Bulldogs team had FIVE first-round defense players, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker. The defense lost eight starters overall, and somehow retooled and are played at an extremely high level, led by future top pick defensive lineman, Jalen Carter. This Georgia defense ranks second in run defense with 80 yards per game given up and 11th in total defense, allowing 304.6 yards per game as a whole.
Georgia could establish itself as the next great College Football dynasty with a second championship in a row.
We are set for a fantastic game on Monday. Vendetta Sports Media will be represented by myself, Garrett Burroughs, so be sure to keep an eye out for the site’s Twitter, my Twitter, and our YouTube for more on the 2023 CFP national championship.
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12/365
