Recalling one of the most unpredictable college football seasons to date, the stage is finally set for the last two standing; the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, and the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Following a playoff selection that sparked major controversy across the world of college football, the road to the championship was anything but ordinary.

For the first time in history, two teams from the Big Ten were selected to compete in the Power 5 College Football Championship; the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Following a regular season double-digit victory over the Buckeyes and a Big Ten Championship win, the Wolverines entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed. As their rival, the No. 3 seed Horned Frogs were coming off an upset loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship, which notably wrote the story for this near historic 2 vs. 3 matchup.

The Horned Frogs are coming 0ff arguably their best season to date, one that inevitably silenced all doubters and nonbelievers. No stranger to adversity, Texas Christian pulled off an undefeated regular season, despite playing from behind in the second half of five of their in-conference matchups, seemingly punching their ticket to the NCAA postseason despite their title game loss.

The voting process for the No. 4 seed was incredibly controversial, as lots of teams with a fluke loss or two had serious playoff contention. Including Tennessee, USC, and Alabama, but despite all odds, Ohio State prevailed despite their regular season loss to Michigan.

Ohio State as the No. 4 seed faced off against the reigning National Champions, the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs entered the contest as clear favorites with indisputably the greatest defense in all of college football, but the Buckeyes match up evenly with an incredibly dominant and distributed offensive approach, making this one a matchup for the ages.

In a cat-and-mouse style game between the Bucks and Bulldogs, the team’ fates fell into the hands of Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles’ hands with the deciding play in the waning seconds of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Whether it be fate or wind, a higher power must have been pounding the Georgia moneyline, because with the championship game on the line, Ruggles sent his kick nearly fifteen yards to the right of the goalpost, sealing a one-point victory and one-way trip back to the National Championship for the Dawgs.

As for the Frogs, they fired on all cylinders despite plentiful adversities, putting them just one game away from their first National Championship victory since 1938. The Horned Frogs are the first team in almost 50 years to make it to a National Championship, on the heels of a losing season.

This team’s offensive camaraderie was remarkable, but what sealed their victory over the Wolverines was their defensive prowess. The Frogs had two different players record pick-sixes, to change not only the score, but their momentum as a whole.

Texas Christian quarterback Max Duggan has led the Frogs through the fight and looks to do the same all the way to the end. Duggan, who did not even have the starting role as quarterback the first week of the season, was given his second chance due to injuries in the quarterback rotation. He has proceeded to use this opportunity to prove himself after being sent in as a reliever for an injured Chandler Morris in their season opener.

With this David and Goliath matchup set, the entire nation is seemingly rooting for the underdog story of the century. Georgia enters the matchup as the 13-point favorite, the largest spread to date in the modern college football playoffs.

The Bulldogs hold the all-time matchup record against the Horned Frogs, boasting a streakless 4-0 record. The stakes are high for Texas Christian as they lurch towards making program history, but are far from impossible.

The Right to Bear (throwing) Arms; which quarterback will lead their team to victory?

Each team's starting quarterback etched themselves into the final four of the Heisman Trophy race, which was inevitably won by the University of Southern California quarterback, Caleb Williams. Despite falling short in the voting process for the award, both of these quarterbacks have truly inspiring backstories… How can you not be romantic about sports?

Bulldogs’ veteran quarterback Stetson Bennett will be playing his last collegiate football game ever, and what better way to go out than playing for your second career national title? Bennett had no offers out of high school and went to a junior college for two seasons before transferring to the University of Georgia to attempt to be a walk-on.

On paper, he is not the ideal fit for the position, as he checks in under six feet, smaller than his entire offensive line and some of his receivers, but has somehow turned this to a vantage point in their all-powerful offensive unit.

It took some time, and he gets his fair share of hate for being an older quarterback, but the extra years have given him extensive knowledge and field awareness that sets him apart from his competitors and bought him the starting job in the first place.

In his first two years as a Bulldog, he took it all in from the bench, learning from those ahead of him while making few appearances. He had a record season in 2021, his first as a starter, and led his team to a national championship victory.

He has taken the newfound admiration and praise with a grain of salt, Bennett has only improved over the last year, now ranking amongst the top ten quarterbacks in the country in passing yards and completion percentage, and the Bulldogs offense as a whole is ranked fourth nationally in fourth-down conversions… a team that gets it done, no matter who or how.

Bennett brings one of the highest levels of football IQ in the league, making him an excellent leader and game manager. He tends to be a bit of a head case at times and tends to succumb to pressure at times, which was apparent during the first quarter of the Peach Bowl. But, if we’ve learned anything from that game, it’s to not let Stetsy get hot.

If he’s done it once, he can certainly do it again. With talk of the Peach Bowl, Bennett was no doubt the hero of that game. He led this Georgia unit to the largest comeback in the history of the College Football playoffs in their buzzer-beater victory over Ohio State.

Despite trailing by eleven in the fourth quarter, they were able to come back with an electrifying one-point victory as the clock struck midnight and the Bulldogs started their new year off right, with a bowl victory and a punched ticket to the National Championship.

As for TCU, they are led by true heart and soul in human form; Max Duggan.

To say he plays with heart is anything but figurative language. Not even two years ago, Duggan was very sick with a heart condition that sends an extra electrical signal in his heartbeat, resulting in a faster resting heart rate than most others. Some could argue that this signal is the spark that brought TCU through the season of a lifetime.

Duggan has been the underdog leader for this offense throughout the season, with a truly unique story. As a three-year starter before the start of the 2022 season, he famously lost that starting role in his senior season to Chandler Morris.

Despite the ever-growing world of the transfer portal, Duggan chose to stay with the Frogs, because he ‘wants to be a part of this team when they make it big, whether I’m on the field or the sideline passing out waters’, and boy did this mindset pay off for him.

Luckily for Max, Morris went out in the season opener with a long-term injury, granting him the starting role for this hungry and driven group once again. He took the opportunity and fled with it, and the Frogs have yet to look back.

Duggan prides himself in keeping his nose on the grindstone and paying close attention to the ‘next one’. He is exceptional on the field, with a dagger for an arm, and excellent pocket awareness and mobility.

He leaves it all on the field, and we’ve certainly seen this span the course of the year as the Frogs boasted an undefeated regular season.

Duggan can throw absolute missiles, with 32 touchdowns and 3,456 passing yards on the year with a long ball of 80. But he also thoroughly exemplifies his comfort outside of the pocket, tallying eight rushing touchdowns on the season as well.

This contest will be an absolute shootout, it will all come down to which team can generate the most momentum and outsmart their counterparts’ game.

What Should We Expect from the Offensive Weapons?

The Bulldogs have lots of stock in Kenny McIntosh, as their leading running back who has proven to be a double threat for this Georgia Team. He has 779 rushing and 506 receiving yards, which the Bulld0gs are expected to utilize this multifaceted athlete as much as they can in this contest.

They also bring a weapon in tight end Brock Bowers, who is often referred to as ‘Mini Gronk’ as he has the height and mass to be a powerhouse NFL tight end. He has tallied 760 yards and six touchdowns on the year, and his presence could be a huge advantage for the Bulldogs, as the tallest Horned Frog safety comes in at 6 '2.

Georgia has plentiful depth in the tight end position, where we’ve noted that the Bulldogs utilize their height advantage in these bigger matchups, and it’s likely to be a big matchup for Darnell Washington. Washington comes in at 6’7, he is one of, if not the biggest and strongest in his position. While only tallying two touchdowns this season, he’s been an incredibly consistent and dependable member of this roster, and we’ll likely see a big game out of him this weekend.

Overall, Georgia has one of the strongest offensive lines in the league, giving Bennett extra valuable seconds in the pocket to make those big-time plays. With Sedrick Van Pran, Warren McLendon and Broderick Jones protecting the pocket passer, these guys will match up incredibly well with the TCU defense.

The Horned Frogs enter with a weapon in Keandre Miller at running back, with 1,399 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, which puts him in a tie for eighth in the NCAA. He continues to be a huge asset in the Frogs offense approach, but is currently battling a bit of a knee injury. While in only his third season, Miller will likely stick around with the Frogs for another season.

Derius Davis is a big play machine for the Frogs as well, boasting his agility on his feet and with his hands. He is a former track star which surely prevails within these characteristics as he glides down the field with ease and can outrun any opponent he faces. Despite having a slow season on the stat sheet, big things can be expected out of him in this game, especially with Miller on the fence.

Quentin Johnson has been a savior for this underdog team all season. He has tallied 1,066 yards and 18 yards per carry of offense for this team along with six touchdowns all year, with a long of 76 yards. Duggan and Johnson have lit up every opponent through this season, and the Bulldogs will be no exception.

What to Expect From these Defensive Units:
It goes without saying that the Bulldogs are undeniably the strongest defensive unit in all of college football, and have been for a long time. But in their recent matchups, we have seen them giving up more yardage than usual, and this borderline crumbling defense could be used as ammunition for the under-frogs (see what I did there). We have seen lots of weaknesses in their passing defense especially, and the Horned Frogs have lots of utilities on the receiving corps.

Georgia’s strongest defensive player, Jalen Carter, will likely have a strong performance to shut down the Frogs as best they can.

The Texas Christian defense has not received many accolades, but they have been stepping up to the challenge against all of their stronger opponents. Their rush defense has aged like fine wine throughout this season, as they sealed their victory over Michigan by holding them to only 3.3 yards per carry after the Wolverines’ opening 54-yard rushing drive.

TCU enters with a weapon in Bud Smith, the 6’2 sophomore with 32 solo tackles and 5 interceptions this season, recording one of those in their victory over Michigan.

Overall

This will be an absolute shootout, and more of a contest of who can start fast and finish strong; both teams capable of pulling out a victory.

Texas Christian will play as scrappy as ever and hope to find another victory to make program history.

The Bulldogs will do as they always do and hope to bulldoze through the Fort Worth Squad to defend their title.

It is shaping up to be a battle of the ages, one that will come right down to the wire.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 EST on Monday, January 9th at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, stay tuned for more coverage post game.

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Frogs vs Dawgs, Winner Takes it All: 2023 National Championship Preview