College Football Playoff Preview

This college football season gave fans all they could ask for. The reigning national champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, brought back their sixth-year walk-on quarterback and their best defensive player, even though they lost 15 players to the NFL draft. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, and the best defensive player in the nation, Will Anderson Jr., headlined an Alabama team that was predicted to dominate. Ohio State University (OSU) brought back Heisman finalist C. J. Stroud, alongside Biletnikoff favorite Jaxon Smith-Njigba and potential Doak Walker Trophy winner TreVeyon Henderson, in a projected star-studded offense. However, this season was truly made great by the University of Southern California’s return (and almost Texas’s), Michigan’s upending of OSU for the second year in a row, and a Tennessee team that gave the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the playoffs a run for their money. These highlights came along with an amazing feat, a backup quarterback and first-year head coach pulling a small Big 12 school to an undefeated regular season.

After 15 players were drafted, including five in the first round, it was fair to question if Georgia would be as dominant as it was in 2021. Well, maybe it wasn’t fair to question. Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs more than settled any doubts after crushing Oregon in the opening game of the season 49-3. Things did not get any more difficult as Georgia went on to easily win their remaining 12 games, including a two-touchdown victory over the formerly number three-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and a 20-point beatdown over the SEC West champion, Louisiana State University Tigers, in the SEC Championship. Now, Georgia is forced into what could be their most difficult game of the year against a talented Ohio State team, in an attempt to repeat as national champion.

Aidan Hutchinson led the 2021 Michigan Wolverines to a magical season last year, capped off by a home victory over Ohio State. However, Hutchinson, along with a significant chunk of their core, left for the NFL after the season. It looked like Coach Jim Harbaugh would have to reload this program, which had just reached its greatest height in over a decade. The one upside he had returning was his starting quarterback, which didn’t last long. Three weeks into the season, Harbaugh replaced redshirt junior quarterback Cade McNamara with talented, former five-star sophomore J. J. McCarthy. The star backfield of McCarthy and running back Blake Corum led Michigan to a 13-0 record and a highly anticipated rivalry match against Ohio State. After a slow start, Michigan turned up to a third gear, demolishing the Buckeyes in the fourth quarter.

Max Duggan took the snap for a two-point conversion and nearly fell over. After running for 95 yards on an end-of-game drive to lead his team to overtime in the Big 12 Championship game, Texas Christian University (TCU) looked to have a poetic finish to a magical season. Early on, the team’s starting quarterback got injured for the entire year, and Duggan, a backup who had to have heart surgery three weeks before Week One, took over and became a Heisman finalist. Their first-year head coach called a run-on field goal with 13 seconds left in the game and no time-outs to keep an undefeated regular season intact. However, after losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship, TCU found themselves at the discretion of the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee, which allowed the team to make the playoffs over a two-loss Alabama team that played five one-score games. Luckily for TCU, they were left in (and placed over Ohio State, perhaps due to an undesired rematch).

All year, Ohio State University was within the top three favorites to win the National Championship. Their quarterback, Stroud, was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy for nearly the entire season. So it was disappointing for Buckeye fans, to say the least, when they lost at home to their archrival, the University of Michigan, on November 26 by 22 points. On the weekend of December 2, all Ryan Day’s squad could do was sit, watch, and wait. Fortunately for them, a hamstring injury for Caleb Williams allowed Lincoln Riley’s USC squad to lose to Utah for the second time this year in the PAC-12 Championship.

Looking to the semifinal round of the CFP, Michigan vs. TCU is not expected to be a close game. TCU is an incredible story, but it seems unrealistic for them to actually win the National Championship. The talent difference is too great. However, it is guaranteed that Sonny Dykes will have his team prepared and focused. Duggan and star receiver Quentin Johnston should be able to hit on a couple of big plays down the field to keep the game close. For Michigan, it’s a shame that star running back Corum will not be able to play. However, offensively, not much should change, with running back Donovan Edwards filling the spot comfortably. As long as the Michigan offensive line does not collapse, the Wolverines should be able to pull away in this one. Prediction: Michigan: 31, TCU: 20.

Ohio State should leave everything on the table for Georgia. Star running back Henderson should be back, adding a much-needed boost to their running game. In order to win, Ohio State will need this running game to be effective on first down, and they will need receivers Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming to step up alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and make plays for Stroud. Georgia will look to beat Ohio State in the same way Michigan did: more physicality, a stronger running game, and connecting on the plays down the field. The one thing that Georgia might have over Ohio State (which Michigan didn’t have) is more talent. If there were any team in the country that did not fear Ohio State’s high-powered passing game, it would be Georgia, with their secondary full of five-star talents Kelee Ringo, Christopher Smith II, and freshman Malaki Starks. Their pass-rush, led by potential first overall pick defensive tackle Jalen Carter, should also give Stroud trouble. Expect Georgia to gain a lead early on with a defensive or special teams touchdown, and expect Ohio State to fail to make it close, despite hitting on a few big plays downfield. Prediction: Georgia: 38, Ohio State: 27.

A Georgia vs. Michigan championship game seems likely. This matchup occurred last year in the semifinals, when Michigan seemed outmatched. This year, they look to have more offensive firepower with the emergence of McCarthy. However, looking at how dominant Georgia has been all year, it does not seem likely that Smart will let a team that feels a lot like his own, with less talent, beat the Bulldogs. In fact, it’s more likely that Ohio State will beat Georgia simply because their quarterback and receiving core will be playing at a high level on Sundays. Georgia should be able to pace ahead of Michigan, with slightly more resistance than last year. Smart, Ringo, Carter, Stetson Bennett IV, and the Bulldogs should hoist the national championship trophy for a second year in a row. Prediction: Georgia: 35, Michigan: 21.

For such a great and dramatic season, it may seem boring that three of the four playoff teams are Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State. However, TCU’s representation, even with a loss in the Big 12 Championship game, highlights the chaos that college football went through this season. Hopefully, the College Football Playoff will be just as exciting, dramatic, and surprising as the regular season was. The only question left is: will 2023 usher in a new national champion, or will Georgia repeat as champion after a 41-year drought?