2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Explained

Game Name:College Football Playoff National Championship
Subheader:9th College Football Playoff National Championship
Title Sponsor Suffix:presented by AT&T
Date Game Played:January 9
Year Game Played:2023
Football Season:2022
Stadium:SoFi Stadium
City:Inglewood, California
Visitor School:Texas Christian University
Visitor Name Short:TCU
Visitor Nickname:Horned Frogs
Visitor Record:13–1
Visitor Conference:Big 12
Visitor Rank Ap:3
Visitor Rank Coaches:4
Visitor Rank Cfp:3
Visitor Coach:Sonny Dykes
Visitor 1Q:7
Visitor 2Q:0
Visitor 3Q:0
Visitor 4Q:0
Home School:University of Georgia
Home Name Short:Georgia
Home Nickname:Bulldogs
Home Record:14–0
Home Conference:SEC
Home Rank Ap:1
Home Rank Coaches:1
Home Rank Cfp:1
Home Coach:Kirby Smart
Home 1Q:17
Home 2Q:21
Home 3Q:14
Home 4Q:13
Mvp:Stetson Bennett (QB, Georgia)
Javon Bullard (S, Georgia)
Odds:Georgia by 13[1]
Anthem:Pentatonix[2]
Referee:Jeff Heaser (ACC)[3]
Attendance:72,628
Us Network:ESPN
Us Announcers:Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath (sidelines)
Ratings:4.65 (16.6 million viewers)
Intl Network:ESPN Deportes
Brazil: ESPN Brazil/Star+
Canada: TSN1/3/4/5
Latin America: ESPN/Star+
Oceania: ESPN
Intl Announcers:ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Pablo Viruega (analyst) and Katia Castorena (sidelines)
ESPN Brazil: Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play), Weinny Eirado (analyst), Deivis Chiodini (analyst) and Giane Pessoa (rules analyst);

The 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship (officially known as the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game that was played on January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The ninth College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2022 season. It was the final game of the 2022–23 College Football Playoff (CFP) and, aside from any all-star games following after, was the culminating game of the 2022–23 bowl season. The game began at approximately 4:45 p.m. PST and was televised by ESPN.

The game featured the defending national champions No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) (winners of the Peach Bowl) and the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs of the Big 12 Conference (winners of the Fiesta Bowl).

Georgia defeated TCU 65–7. The 58-point victory for Georgia was the most lopsided win in a College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the largest margin of victory in a title game, and at the time, was the largest margin of victory in any bowl game at the FBS level, until the Bulldogs surpassed that in the 2023 Orange Bowl.[4] Georgia became the first team since the 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide to repeat as national champions. They also became just the third college football team to complete a 15–0 season in the modern era after the 2018 Clemson Tigers and the 2019 LSU Tigers. They were subsequently joined by the 2023 Michigan Wolverines. This was the fourth consecutive national championship won by the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The broadcast of the game on ESPN saw the smallest audience in the game's history, coming at 16.6 million viewers.

Background

This was the fourth consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship matching the  3 seed and the No. 1 seed. The first was the 2020 edition, where the top-ranked LSU Tigers beat the third-ranked Clemson Tigers by a score of 42–25 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The second was the 2021 edition, where the top-ranked Alabama beat the third-ranked Ohio State by a score of 52–24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The third was when No. 3 Georgia beat No. 1 Alabama, 33–18, in the 2022 edition at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Host selection

On November 1, 2017, SoFi Stadium was selected as host for the ninth edition of the championship, alongside the aforementioned 2021 and 2022 sites and NRG Stadium in Houston for 2024.[5]

College Football Playoff

The four teams competing in the Playoff were selected by the CFP selection committee, whose final rankings were released on December 4, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. EST.[6] [7] The committee selected No. 1 Georgia from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), No. 2 Michigan from the Big Ten Conference, No. 3 TCU from the Big 12 Conference, and No. 4 Ohio State, also from the Big Ten Conference. Two out of the four teams were the champion of its respective conference; Georgia and Michigan entered the playoff with undefeated records, while TCU and Ohio State entered at 12-1 and 11-1 respectively.

The championship game was the ninth in College Football Playoff history.[8] The semifinals were both played on December 31, 2022. In the first semifinal, played at the Fiesta Bowl, TCU upset Michigan as 7.5 point underdogs, 51–45, in the highest scoring Fiesta Bowl, and second-highest CFP semifinal game. In the second semifinal, played at the Peach Bowl, Georgia rallied to overcome a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and defeat Ohio State 42–41.[9] This was the third appearance by Georgia in the College Football Playoff, after winning the national championship the year prior. They entered the title game with an overall CFP record of 4–1. TCU made their first appearance in the playoff this year, and the first team from the Big 12 to reach the championship game since Texas’ appearance in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

Bracket

Venue

SoFi Stadium is a 70,240-seat venue in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood. Opened in September 2020, the fixed-roof stadium is home to the National Football League (NFL)'s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, as well as the annual LA Bowl in college football. It had previously hosted Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022.

Teams

The championship game matched TCU from the Big 12 Conference and Georgia from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The programs had previously met four times, most recently in the December 2016 edition of the Liberty Bowl, with Georgia winning each of the prior matchups.[10]

TCU

See main article: 2022 TCU Horned Frogs football team.

The TCU Horned Frogs, under the leadership of first-year head coach Sonny Dykes, finished the regular season with an unblemished 12–0 record and finished Big 12 play at 9–0.[11] That record put them atop the Big 12 and into the conference championship game, where they fell to Kansas State in an upset, leaving TCU with a 12–1 record.[12] It did not impact their No. 3 ranking, as they were selected to that spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP). In the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, the Horned Frogs defeated No. 2 Michigan, 51–45.[13]

This game was the first time a Big 12 team appeared in an FBS championship game since the 2010 BCS National Championship Game; the most recent national championship game won by a Big 12 team was the 2006 Rose Bowl (when the current FBS was still known as Division I-A). In the history of college football national championships at the highest level of competition, TCU has been named a national champion by one or more NCAA-recognized selectors three times: 1935, 1938, and 2010.[14] TCU claims national championships for their 1935 and 1938 teams.[15] [16]

Georgia

See main article: 2022 Georgia Bulldogs football team.

Georgia was undefeated in their 12-game regular season, facing and defeating two ranked FBS teams, Oregon and Tennessee. Their closest victory was by four points, over Missouri; all of their other wins were by at least 10 points. Georgia qualified for the SEC Championship Game, where they defeated LSU, 50–30. Georgia entered the Peach Bowl semifinal with an overall 13–0 record, and were matched with No. 4 Ohio State. After Ohio State held a 38–24 lead in the third quarter, Georgia rallied for a 42–41 win, after Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles' potential game-winning 50-yard field goal with 3 seconds left in the game sailed wide left.[17]

Georgia became the first team to win back-to-back FBS championships since the 2011 Alabama and 2012 Alabama teams, and the first in the CFP era. In addition to the Bulldogs' 2021 season championship, Georgia claims national championships for their 1942 season and 1980 season.[18] [19] [20]

Georgia's 58-point margin of victory was the largest of any bowl game ever.[21]

Starting lineups

TCUPosition Georgia
Offense
Quentin Johnston 1 WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
Derius Davis 4 WR Ladd McConkey 2
Brandon Coleman 3 LT Broderick Jones 1
Steve Avila 2 LG Xavier Truss
Alan Ali C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger 5
Wes Harris RG Tate Ratledge
RT Amarius Mims 1
Jared Wiley 4 TE Darnell Washington 3
Savion Williams WR TE Brock Bowers 1
Max Duggan 7 QB Stetson Bennett 4
RB Kenny McIntosh 7
Defense
Dylan Horton 4 DE Tramel Walthour
Nazir Stackhouse
Terrell Cooper DE DT Jalen Carter 1
Jamoi Hodge MLB MAC Smael Mondon Jr.
WLB MONEY Jamon Dumas-Johnson
Dee Winters 6 SLB OLB Robert Beal Jr. 5
Tre Tomlinson 6 CB Kelee Ringo 4
Josh Newton 5 CB Kamari Lassiter 2
Mark Perry SS Christopher Smith II 5
FS Malaki Starks
Millard Bradfrord NB STAR Javon Bullard 2
† 2022 All-American

(number corresponds to draft round)
Source:[22]

Game summary

First half

Georgia won the toss and elected to defer, and the opening kick by Jack Podlesny was a touchback. A TCU false start penalty by center Steve Avila set them back to the TCU 20 to start the game. This would result in a three-and-out by quarterback Max Duggan. A fair catch by Kearis Jackson started Georgia's drive at their own 43. Xavier Truss would also be called for false start, moving the ball back to their own 38. That did not matter, as 4 quick plays set-up Stetson Bennett's 21 yard touchdown run, and Georgia got the early lead, 7–0. TCU's next drive would be another disaster. Max Duggan got sacked on the first play of the drive for -6 yards. He then connected to Derius Davis for two yards. However, a defensive holding penalty by Javon Bullard would give them a first down. Javon Bullard got right back and recovered the ensuing fumble by Derius Davis. Another five plays would set up Jack Podlesny's 26-yd field goal, to give them a 10–0 lead. A 60-yard pass by Derius Davis on TCU's next drive would setup Max Duggan's 2-yd TD run, to cut the lead to three points, 10–7. It would be their only points of the game. A four play Georgia drive would couple with a wide-open 37-yd TD catch by Ladd McConkey to end the first quarter 17–7. After another TCU punt, and after an 11-play drive, which included a 35-yard pass from Brock Bowers, then setup Stetson Bennett's 6-yd untouched touchdown, to extend their lead by 17 points (24–7). Emari Demercado would run for 3 yards on TCU's next drive, but an offensive holding penalty pushed them back to their own 15. After another play, Javon Bullard would get his first interception of the game. After another 11-play drive, would setup Kendall Milton's 1-yd touchdown run, to extend their lead by 24 points (31–7). It would be the same thing for TCU's next drive, with Javon Bullard's second interception of the game. Stetson Bennett would connect with Adonai Mitchell for a 22-yd touchdown catch to end the first half with a 38–7 lead, coming into the break.

Second half

Since Georgia elected to defer, they got the ball back to start the second half. After both teams traded punts, and after a 3-play drive for Georgia, Stetson Bennett found Brock Bowers for a 22 yd TD, to make it 45–7. After an offensive holding penalty to start TCU's drive at their own 18, another quick three and out occurred, giving Georgia the ball back at their own 16. This would come with a 9 play, 84 yard drive, which resulted in Ladd McConkey's second touchdown of the game, to make it 52–7. TCU's subsequent drives would both be turnover on downs, with Georgia touchdowns in between them. After Branson Robinson 19 yd TD run, Jack Podlesny's extra point try subsequently missed, making it 65–7. After another TCU punt, Georgia ran out the remaining clock, making the final score 65–7, and repeating as national champions.

Scoring summary

Statistics

Team statistical comparison
Statistic TCU Georgia
First downs9 32
First downs rushing4 15
First downs passing4 16
First downs penalty1 1
Third down efficiency2–11 9–13
Fourth down efficiency0–2 1–1
Total plays–net yards51–188 72–589
Rushing attempts–net yards28–36 44–254
Yards per rush1.3 5.8
Yards passing152 335
Pass completions–attempts14–23 20–28
Interceptions thrown2 0
Punt returns–total yards0–0 0–0
Kickoff returns–total yards6–138 1–27
Punts–average yardage5–37.0 1–48.0
Fumbles–lost1–1 0–0
Penalties–yards5–50 4–30
Time of possession23:01 35:59
TCU statistics
Horned Frogs passing
14–22 152 0–2
0–1 0 0–0
Horned Frogs rushing
14 59 0
2 9 0
Chandler Morris 1 4 0
1 2 0
Max Duggan 10 -38 1
Horned Frogs receiving
Derius Davis 5 101 0
Blair Conwright 1 15 0
2 14 0
Geor'Quarius Spivey 1 10 0
1 8 0
1 3 0
Emani Bailey 1 2 0
Corey Wren 1 1 0
Emari Demercado 1 -2 0
Georgia statistics
Bulldogs passing
18–25 304 4–0
2–3 31 0–0
Bulldogs rushing
8 50 0
7 42 2
Stetson Bennett 3 39 2
Sevaughn Clark 5 35 0
10 33 1
5 30 0
2 15 0
1 14 0
Bulldogs receiving
Brock Bowers 7 152 1
Ladd McConkey 5 88 2
1 28 0
1 22 1
1 20 0
Daijun Edwards 2 12 0
Dillon Bell 1 11 0
Arian Smith 1 3 0
Kenny McIntosh 1 -1 0

Aftermath

In an unusual coincidence, Stetson Bennett and Max Duggan were selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round and Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round, respectively, the same teams that play at SoFi Stadium. They met again on August 13, 2023, in a preseason game also held at SoFi Stadium, where the Chargers won 34–17.

Georgia went on to an undefeated regular season in 2023, and extended their winning streak to 29 games, heading into the 2023 SEC Championship Game against Alabama. Their winning streak started and ended with that team. Georgia lost, 27–24, which snapped their 29-game winning streak, and failed to make the College Football Playoff and play for a third consecutive national title. The team also became the first to miss the playoffs after being ranked number one going into the championship weekend. Georgia was invited to the Orange Bowl against Florida State, where they earned a dominating 63–3 win, setting a new record for the largest margin of victory of any bowl game at the FBS level (or its historical predecessors).[23] Meanwhile, TCU had a rough season. With the loss of Duggan, TCU plummeted to No. 17 in the preseason polls. They lost to Colorado in the season opener, 45-42. They then won their next three games, but after that, suffered a collapse, losing six of their last eight games of the regular season to finish 5–7 and missed becoming bowl-eligible.

Broadcasting

This was the ninth consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship game to be televised on ESPN, and offered its MegaCast coverage, which also televised the Playoff semifinals, and the championship game on all of its networks except ABC with alternate broadcasts; the primary telecast aired on ESPN while other channels in the ESPN family of networks aired alternate broadcasts.

Commentary teams

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CFP National Championship Odds & Betting Lines 2023: Bulldogs Survive, TCU Keeps Dream Season Alive . covers.com . January 8, 2023.
  2. Web site: Kelsea Ballerini to Headline Allstate Championship Tailgate; Pentatonix to Perform National Anthem at 2023 CFP National Championship. College Football Playoff. December 21, 2022. December 21, 2022.
  3. Web site: 2022–23 bowl officiating assignments. footballzebras.com. Ben. Austro. December 4, 2022. December 16, 2022.
  4. News: 2023 national championship: Georgia, Stetson Bennett overpower TCU for most dominant victory of title game era . Chip . Patterson . . January 9, 2023 . January 9, 2023.
  5. Web site: New Rams, Chargers stadium to host college football championship in 2023 . 2 November 2017. DaSilva, Cameron. Ramswire.
  6. Web site: Goldberg . Rob . 2022 - 23 College Football Playoff, full bowl schedule revealed . . November 16, 2022 . May 26, 2022.
  7. Web site: Al-Khateeb . Zac . When are the College Football Playoff rankings released? Time, channel for third CFP selection show in 2022 . . November 16, 2022 . November 15, 2022.
  8. Web site: Dates Announced for College Football Playoff Games through 2026 . College Football Playoff . March 18, 2022. August 30, 2018 . April 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413182317/https://collegefootballplayoff.com/news/2018/8/30/cfp-game-dates-2026.aspx . live .
  9. Web site: No. 1 Georgia rallies to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 in semi. AP. ESPN. January 9, 2023.
  10. Web site: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Georgia Bulldogs football series history games list . winsipedia.com . January 1, 2023.
  11. Web site: TCU brings 'fight for credibility' to CFP against Michigan . . December 31, 2022 . en . December 31, 2022.
  12. Web site: Myerberg . Paul . Michigan, TCU bring contrast of styles to College Football Playoff semifinal at Fiesta Bowl . . December 31, 2022 . December 27, 2022.
  13. Web site: No. 3 TCU upsets No. 2 Michigan 51-45 in wild CFP semifinal. AP. ESPN. January 9, 2023.
  14. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20110205061108/http://www.collegefootballpoll.com:80/2010_archive_computer_rankings.html . dead. 5 February 2011. 2010-2011 College Football Season Final Congrove Computer Rankings . College Football Poll. 2021-12-10.
  15. Book: Cohen, Mark . 2014 TCU Football Fact Book . TCU Athletics Media Relations Office . 2, 129 . 2014 . May 5, 2015 . September 5, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905022535/http://issuu.com/tcu_athletics/docs/2014_fb_fact_book . live .
  16. TCU Horned Frogs football National Champions 1935, 1938 . 2016 . Stadium Sign . . . March 13, 2022.
  17. Ohio State's Noah Ruggles "Takes Full Responsibility" For Missed Field Goal Against Georgia . Andrew . Lind . . January 3, 2023 . January 5, 2023.
  18. Web site: Georgia Bulldog NCAA Championships . georgiadogs.com . March 10, 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220204022237/https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/championships-ncaa.aspx . February 4, 2022 . FOOTBALL (3) 1942 • 1980 • 2021 – The 1927, 1946, 1968 teams were also recognized as National Champions but these were not consensus and thus not officially recognized as National Championships..
  19. Book: 2022 Georgia Football Media Guide . 2022 . 169–174, 207 . University of Georgia Athletics Department . August 7, 2022 . August 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807175540/https://issuu.com/georgiadogs/docs/22fb_mediaguide . live . The Consensus National Champions: 2021, 1980, 1942 The other three... 1927, 1946, 1968.
  20. Georgia Bulldogs football National Champs flags 1942, 2021, 1980 . 2022 . Stadium Flags . . . March 8, 2022 . March 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220309064320/https://georgiadogs.com/galleries/football/fb-national-championship-celeb/during-the-georgia-bulldogs-na/3249/66836 . live.
  21. Web site: Georgia's dominant national championship win sends clear message to rest of sport: Don't even think about it. CBS Sports. Dodd. Dennis. January 9, 2023. January 10, 2023. en.
  22. Web site: 23FB Game Stats - TCU . University of Georgia . 10 January 2023.
  23. Web site: Georgia puts record-breaking Orange Bowl squeeze on Florida State, 63-3. Griffith. Mike. Dawg Nation. December 30, 2023. December 30, 2023.