SPORTS: Georgia Routs TCU to Secure Back to Back Titles

BY: ELI SMITH

JANUARY 18, 2023

National Title Monday is something people all around the United States get excited for, especially if you were a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs and TCU Horned Frogs. Georgia came into the matchup undefeated, and defending their 2022 title win over Alabama. TCU was a one loss team with that loss coming in the conference title game to Kansas State. Georgia and TCU were led by their two Senior Quarterbacks, both of which were Heisman Finalists in this year’s College Football season. Georgia was led by 6th year Senior Stetson Bennett, and TCU  by Senior Max Duggan.

This matchup was interesting, considering Georgia was in their third CFP National title and had already won one the year before, but TCU was in their first Playoff and first title since the Playoff platform began in 2014. TCU won a shootout in the Fiesta Bowl against a highly talented team in Michigan by a score of 52-49. One sign of weakness in that matchup was the TCU defense, and its vulnerability to big plays and quick scores. On the other side you have Georgia’s defense which had been dominating offenses all season to this point. So this game was going to come down to which defense was going to play better, and of course everyone was leaning to the experienced Georgia defense.

Let’s just say it didn’t go well for the TCU offense or defense, as their offense only scored 7 points and their defense gave up 65 to the Bulldogs in what would be the most lopsided National Title game in history. This raised no questions on who the best team in College Football was, but instead the question was whether their competitors were equally matched with them.  Georgia was not a good matchup for TCU at all, TCU has been known to have a poor defense and an offense that just beats up on bad Big 12 defenses. In Georgia’s first playoff matchup, Ohio State was a game winning field goal away from knocking the Bulldogs out in the semifinal at the Chick Fil A Peach Bowl. Ohio State was a team that matched up with Georgia a lot better, especially considering all of the great play makes Georgia’s defense had to deal with on that Ohio State offense. Although that didn’t happen, the Bulldogs won that game by a single point.

So, between the two matchups that Georgia played in, they beat a team by as little as you could and beat a team by more than any other team had in a title game before. A 57 point difference separated the 1 point win against Ohio St to the 58 point win against TCU. I think the consensus is that teams from the B1G 12 just can’t compete with teams from the SEC, at least the Top teams of the BIG 12 and the top teams of the SEC. The third best team in the SEC in Alabama beat the BIG 12 conference champion Kansas State 45-20 in the Sugar Bowl. There is just a big difference between SEC football and the rest of the country, and it seems as if it is going to stay that way.