TCU is looking to pull another upset. Georgia is trying to win a second straight national title.
The third-ranked Horned Frogs (13-1) and top-ranked Bulldogs (14-0) face off in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
As of Friday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Georgia a 12 1/2-point favorite, down a point from the opening spread after Saturday night’s thrilling CFP semifinals.
The Frogs were underdogs by close to a touchdown against No. 2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal before winning 51-45, and they have embraced being underestimated.
“Definitely gave us a little bit of extra juice,” offensive lineman Wes Harris said.
How TCU’s offensive line holds up against the big, bad Bulldogs’ defensive front is one of several key matchups likely to determine which team wins the national title.
AP photo by Rick Scuteri / TCU offensive lineman Steve Avila (79), an All-American this season, blocks against Michigan during the Fiesta Bowl last Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. Avila is one of the anchors of a veteran position group for the Horned Frogs.UP FRONT
Ask coaches from the Big 12 conference, which includes TCU, what someone might overlook about the Horned Frogs and they point to the guys up front on offense.
“The biggest slight, I thought, was (to) TCU’s o-line,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “I think they’re very good up front.”
Left guard Steve Avila is an All-American. Tackles Brandon Coleman (6-foot-6, 325 pounds) and Andrew Coker (6-7, 315) are even bigger than Georgia’s tackles.
The line is also loaded with experience; the starters have all been in college at least four years.
Avila and Co. paved the way for 263 rushing yards against Michigan, but the challenge against Georgia will be greater.
More so than maybe any defense in college football, the Bulldogs are going to take away the run. They are sound when it comes to filling gaps, and they do so with big, athletic linemen and linebackers, led by All-American Jalen Carter, a 300-pound tackle who might be the best player in college football, regardless of position.
GROUND GAME
Only two opponents this season have averaged more than 4.0 yards per carry in a game against Georgia; none reached 5.0. TCU’s average of 5.32 yards per carry ranks 15th in the country.
Emari Demercado had a career game against Michigan with 150 yards on 17 carries. It was needed after leading rusher Kendre Miller (1,399 yards, 17 touchdowns this season) went out with a knee injury. TCU coach Sonny Dykes called Miller questionable earlier this week.
Regardless of who is lining up at tailback, quarterback Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, will need to get involved in the running game for the Frogs.
“You’ve got to play 11 on 11 when it comes to Georgia,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “You’re not going to go out there and just traditionally turn around and hand the ball off, throw the ball downfield. The quarterback is going to have to affect the game with his feet.”
AP photo by LM Otero / TCU quarterback Max Duggan (15) and offensive tackle Brandon Coleman celebrate a touchdown during a Nov. 26 game against Iowa State in Fort Worth, Texas.MONSTER MISMATCH
Two of Georgia’s four leading receivers are tight ends, and they help the Bulldogs create all kinds of mismatches for quarterback Stetson Bennett to exploit.
Brock Bowers (6-4, 230) boasts the athleticism of a wide receiver and the rushing ability of a tailback. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken lines up Bowers all over, including in the backfield, and the sophomore leads the team with 56 catches for 790 yards.
“Hybrid players cause problems for the defense because they have to realize and try to figure out what position he’s playing,” ESPN analyst Dan Mullen, a former Mississippi State and Florida coach, said on The AP Top 25 College Football Podcast.
Mullen said a defense might want to roll coverage to Bowers and use a double-team approach, but that becomes a challenge without having a good idea of where he is lining up from play to play.
Darnell Washington (6-7, 270) is Georgia’s more traditional tight end, but he is far from typical because he’s powerful enough to block like a tackle and nimble enough to be sent down the seam of a defense. Washington left last Saturday’s 42-41 Peach Bowl win against Ohio State in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said this week he was hopeful Washington could play against TCU.
There was much chatter last week about how TCU’s 3-3-5 defense would hold up against Michigan’s power running game. The Frogs gave up a bunch of big plays, but they kept the Wolverines from churning out yards on the ground and staying on schedule offensively.
Playing with three safeties plus star cornerback Tre Hodges-Tomlinson might benefit the Frogs against Georgia, which runs much of its offense with one running back and two tight ends on the field.
The Frogs want to avoid having Bowers matched against a linebacker. Then again, having Bowers and Washington rumbling through a bunch of defensive backs isn’t a great option, either.
AP photo by Brynn Anderson / Georgia tight end Darnell Washington is helped away from the field after getting injured during last Saturday’s Peach Bowl against Ohio State.QUENTIN vs. KELEE
Georgia’s Kelee Ringo was one of the stars of last year’s national championship game against Alabama, returning an interception for a touchdown to seal the victory.
He’s regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in college football, but Ohio State didn’t shy away from throwing Ringo’s way when he was covering All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who had a huge game before going out with a possible concussion.
TCU’s Quentin Johnston, like Harrison, is a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft who had a huge semifinal performance with six catches for 163 yards and a score in the Fiesta Bowl. Johnston was limited by nagging injuries much of the season, yet he still was the leading receiver for the Frogs.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, whose Wildcats beat TCU in overtime last month at the Big 12 championship game, is well aware of Johnston’s capabilities.
“I think he’s as good as there is in college football,” Klieman said, “and he seems healthy now.”
PREDICTION
Georgia 42, TCU 24