TCU College Football National Championship Opponent Lookahead: Georgia Bulldogs

TCU seeks its first National Championship since 1938 against the Georgia Bulldogs.

TCU (13-1) plays Georgia (14-0) in the College Football National Playoff Championship. The title game kicks off Monday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. CT from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

TCU is seeking its first title since 1938, while Georgia is looking to become the first repeat champion since Alabama in 2011-12.

Find a rundown on Georgia below.

Georgia Vs. TCU: Series History

Georgia is 4-0 all time against TCU, with their most recent matchup coming in the 2016 Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs won that matchup 31-23 in Kirby Smart's first season in Athens with a roster jampacked with NFL talent.

The first-ever meeting between these two teams came in the 1942 Orange Bowl in Miami, where Georgia won 46-20. Frank Sinkwich threw three touchdowns and rushed for another, combining for 355 yards– an Orange Bowl record. That game also featured 10 (!!!) interceptions.

The only two in-season meetings between Georgia and TCU played out in 1980– Georgia's most recent championship year before last– and 1988, both in Athens. Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley headed the Bulldogs in those meetings.

Georgia Players To Note

Stetson Bennett IV stood alongside Max Duggan in New York City at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. While his nomination for the Heisman was surprising to many, Bennett has pieced together a heck of a season. Bennett boasts a top-20 mark in passer efficiency, as well as top-10 marks in yards per pass attempt, completion percent, and points added per play.

The fifth-year led Georgia to a come-from-behind victory over Ohio State. In that game– and all of his big games– Bennett showed poise and experience.

His top target is the top tight end in the country, sophomore Brock Bowers. The second team All American led Georgia in receptions (56), yards (790), and touchdowns (six). He presents a matchup nightmare for both linebackers and safeties.

Defensively, Jalen Carter leads the pack. Carter was successfully game planned out of the Peach Bowl, but is an undoubtable game wrecker at defensive tackle. Sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson leads the team with nine tackles for loss and four sacks on the year.

Notably, team captain and All-SEC linebacker Nolan Smith is out for this game with an injury. Tackle Warren McClendon missed the Peach Bowl with an injury sustained in the SEC Championship Game and tight end Darnell Washington is questionable.

Sizing Up The Bulldogs

Georgia returns another top-tier defense, led by a defensive front stocked with high NFL Draft talent, but also adds a more efficient offense to the mix in 2022. The Bulldogs offense under Bennett is the number-one most successful passing offense in the nation (53.5%).

While not one single player headlines the receiving corps, a number of players like AD Mitchell and Ladd McConkey piece together a unit fully capable of burning a defensive secondary. With terrific corner Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU runs plenty of man coverage, which Georgia's receivers are built for. McConkey and Mitchell are both outstanding route runners and excel at creating separation.

A lot of the offense Georgia runs is similar in scope to Michigan's. They hope to win the line of scrimmage battle and pick and choose their deep shots on the back of a very capable quarterback.

Defensively, Georgia isn't impenetrable. Similar to TCU's attack last week against Michigan, Georgia is susceptible to being taken out of their game and forced into a downfield battle.

Against Ohio State's aggressive downfield passing attack, the Bulldogs allowed a season-high 41 points– more than their wins over Oregon, Samford, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Tennessee combined.

Taking Georgia out of their rhythm early on, just like TCU did in the last round against Michigan, the Horned Frogs have a chance to put points up on the scoreboard.

Opponent Rundown

Team: Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 14-0 (8-0 in the SEC)

Coach: Kirby Smart (7th year, 61-15 coaching record at Georgia)

Previous Outcome: W, 42-41 vs. Ohio State (Peach Bowl CFP Semifinal)

Scoring Offense: 39.8 points per game (6th)

Scoring Defense: 15.9 points allowed per game (5th)

Georgia 2022 Schedule & Results

Date	Opponent	Result
Sept. 3	vs. Oregon (Atlanta)	W, 49-3
Sept. 10	Samford (FCS)	W, 33-0
Sept. 17	at South Carolina	W, 48-7
Sept. 24	Kent State	W, 39-22
Oct. 1	at Missouri	W, 26-22
Oct. 8	Auburn	W, 42-10
Oct. 15	Vanderbilt	W, 55-0
Oct. 22	BYE
Oct. 29	vs. Florida (Jacksonville)	W, 42-20
Nov. 5	Tennessee	W, 27-13
Nov. 12	at Mississippi State	W, 45-19
Nov. 19	at Kentucky	W, 16-6
Nov. 26	Georgia Tech	W, 37-14
Dec. 3	vs. LSU (SEC Championship)	W, 50-30
Dec. 31	vs. Ohio State (Peach Bowl)	W, 42-41

TCU vs. Georgia National Championship Game Info

• When: Monday, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m. CT
• Where: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
• TV: ESPN

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