It’s a decade since a college football team won back-to-back national championships, as Alabama’s 2011 and 2012 teams pulled off the feat. Now, the Georgia Bulldogs are only 60 minutes away from the same sort of repeat title. They spent three quarters underperforming on defense against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, but they figured things out at just the right time, mounting a 14-point comeback (and getting the good fortune of an ugly Ohio State 50-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation) and taking the win. They enter Monday night’s contest as 13-point favorites over TCU. Which way should you go with your College Football betting? Read on to learn why you should pick the Georgia Bulldogs.
NCAA News: Why You Should Bet on Georgia to win the National Championship
→ Georgia has taken care of elite competition all season long
In Week 1, Georgia met Oregon in a neutral-site game of potential national contenders and simply obliterated the Ducks, 49-3. (TCU, by contrast, opened against an awful Colorado team. They won, but the final score wasn’t as convincing). Then, Georgia marched through an exceedingly dangerous SEC schedule, taking down the likes of Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee, beating the then-#1 Volunteers, 27-13, along the way. They rolled over LSU, 50-30, in the SEC Championship before that nailbiter of a win over Ohio State.
→ Georgia has the talent
Since 2019, Georgia has signed 77 high school recruits ranked either four or five stars. TCU has signed 18 during that same time frame. Georgia has the top rankings in such advanced metrics as the F+ rankings from Football Outsiders and ESPN’s SP+. Superior talent does not always deliver wins, of course, but over time, the teams with the best recruits tend to win titles.
→ Georgia has an elite O-line and an elite running game
Georgia puts up 202 rushing yards (fourth in the SEC) and 293 passing yards (third) per game. The team has terrific balance, with 464 passing plays against 513 running plays this year. The offensive stars are quarterback Stetson Bennett and tight end Brock Bowers, but the O-line is where it all starts. The front five were a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the top offensive line in the nation, and they opened the holes that let Georgia running backs average 5.5 yards per attempt on the season, and they only permitted nine sacks. They were the nation’s #7 pass-blocking offensive line and #8 run-blocking unit according to the PFF rankings. Right tackle Warren McClendon went down in the SEC Championship and did not play in the Peach Bowl, but he is listed as questionable, and if he can return, he will bolster a unit that already has star left tackle Broderick Jones and one of the nation’s best centers, Sedrick Van Pran.
TCU permitted 152 rushing yards per game, 89th in the nation. They did hold Michigan to 185 yards (including one play for 54), and their 3-3-5 defense is a bit of a gimmick, but Georgia has the talent up front to deal with it. Kenny McIntosh (779 yards), Daijun Edwards (730) and Kendall Milton (559) will all get plenty of time with the ball.
→ Stetson Bennett is a clutch quarterback
In the CFP games last year, Bennett went 37 of 56 combined for 537 yards and five touchdowns without a pick, in wins over Michigan and Alabama. He did throw an interception against Ohio State last week, but he also went 23 of 34 for 398 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per attempt. During the fourth quarter, he was even better, going 10 of 12 for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including that 76-yard strike to Arian Smith. For the season, Bennett has a 23:7 TD:INT ratio and has run for 166 yards and eight more touchdowns.
→ Georgia’s matchups will frustrate TCU
The tight ends for Georgia have caused havoc all year. Brock Bower is 6’4” and has wide receiver-caliber speed, making him a matchup nightmare. Darnell Washington is 6’7” and, while he is questionable to play, if he can go, that makes another problem for the Horned Frogs to solve. The wide receiver group does not have an elite star, but they have Ladd McConkey, Kearris Jackson, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock. McConkey caught 53 passes for 674 yards to lead the group, but everyone in the group has at least 15 catches. Also, Adonai Mitchell returned from a high ankle sprain that has kept him out for the majority.
Of the season, but he came back to catch three balls for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Peach Bowl. This is another area in which the wealth of talent could cause problems for the Horned Frogs.
I questioned Kirby Smart’s ability to prepare the Bulldogs for tough games last year, especially after the SEC Championship loss to Alabama. However, he had his team ready for both CFP games last year, and he made adjustments just in time in the Peach Bowl. Georgia heads to SoFi Stadium ready to make it two titles in two years.
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