College Football

TCU's fairy-tale run vs. the Georgia dynasty: A fitting end to an impeccable season

Published Jan. 1, 2023 8:52 p.m. ET

As auld lang syne rang out across the country and multicolor balloons rained down from ceilings far and wide, college football fans would be forgiven if they bypassed New Year’s Eve festivities to do something far simpler and much more needed: catch our collective breath.

What else is there to do, really, after the College Football Playoff delivered a night for the ages and one that soon won’t be forgotten? It’s hard to even process it all amid heart-pounding swings of emotions and improbable play after improbable play for a good eight or nine hours straight.

Process it we must, however, as TCU’s 51-45 masterclass against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl provided a delicious appetizer for Georgia’s thrilling 42-41 comeback in their own backyard against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. If you wanted to label it as the best night the sport has ever seen given the stakes involved, you’d be closer to finding the truth than to being a prisoner of the moment.

All of which leads us to a great western showdown on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and a fitting finale for this impeccable season that has birthed storylines fit for Hollywood and more unpredictable results than we know what to do with.

For TCU, the chance to win its first national championship since 1938 represents something far more than just a new school adding that cylindrical golden trophy to its football facilities. The Horned Frogs are less representative of the rags-to-riches American dream trope and more about the vision, alignment and unwavering belief it takes to reach the top of the sport.

They never stopped dreaming of reaching the big leagues and stuck to those ambitions throughout a multitude of conference affiliations. When the old BCS put up roadblocks, they knocked them down. When some thought it couldn’t be done, they became ever more resilient.

How else to explain the fact that former athletic director Chris Del Conte and now-current AD Jeremiah Donati moved mountains and pounded the pavement to convince former rivals like Texas to help extend a Big 12 invite to the small, private Christian school in a metro area fully saturated by the league? They willed it into existence a decade ago, and now it is TCU, and not any of the larger, richer or more powerful institutions in the Lone Star State, that can lay claim to securing the first College Football Playoff victory by a program in Texas.

No, not the Longhorns or Aggies, nor the Bears or Red Raiders. Instead, it’s the guys who made Hypnotoads a thing in the college football lexicon.

Breaking down TCU's stunning upset of Michigan

All this, too, despite going 5-7 and firing their longtime head coach Gary Patterson — who literally has a statue outside the team’s stadium — last year. The same group picked seventh in the league coming into 2022 and the same one who, multiple coaches noted in the aftermath of the Fiesta Bowl, had some 20,000-to-1 preseason odds to win it all by the sharps in Las Vegas.

Through it all, they’ve made it to the mountaintop, ready to etch themselves into history as one of the most unlikely champions the sport has ever produced. Even those inside the program fully acknowledge that this wildly exceeds even the most optimistic expectations anybody had for the team in Sonny Dykes’ debut campaign.

Now that they’re here though … why not complete the storybook ending in a city so closely associated with making movie magic, no matter how outlandish things seemed in the initial pitch meeting?

If TCU is a team of destiny when it comes to the national championship game, however, its tall task looks even more momentous considering its opponent is not just the reigning title holder, but the current gold standard, team ready to firmly put a stamp on this dynastic run with the first ever back-to-back run in the playoff era.

It didn’t use to be like this for the Georgia Bulldogs, of course. They were far from top dawgs but rather the underachieving kind, so often getting questioned about how they were not a more regular participant in the national championship picture despite all the fertile recruiting on their doorstep, the multitude of resources at their disposal, or the impressive collection of head coaches to pass through Athens.

Thanks to Kirby Smart, now a remarkable 80-15 across seven seasons, those questions have faded into the background. One of the most highly regarded of Nick Saban's disciples was brought back to his alma mater with one mandate and one mandate only: be the best.

UGA is on the precipice of just that.

The Bulldogs stack top recruiting class over top recruiting class. They win ugly and they win big. They are spot on with the correct coaching decisions when the moment calls for it, such as the incredible timeout usage Smart displayed against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. They’ve won five New Year’s Six bowl games in a row, and are looking to extend the streak to six and do something nobody’s done in more than a decade (with the added hurdle of playing an extra game just to get that designation of the ultimate champion).

How Kirby Smart saved the day for Georgia

Maybe more than anything, the handful of cruel twists that somehow always seemed to go against the Bulldogs, now seem to tilt in favor of the red and black. In a sport where the margin is as much about inches as it is yards, Georgia has more consistently found itself on the right side of history as it enters a third title game in six years.

Lest you think of this program as one solely made up of Goliaths, it’s worth pointing out that the Bulldogs' fearless leader between the lines — quarterback Stetson Bennett — is someone even TCU fans can identify with. Labeled a two-star out of high school, he walked on at his parents' alma mater after being told by the vast majority of FBS programs that he was simply too small, unathletic and lacking in the arm strength needed to make it in the SEC.

Through all the doubts, however, he persevered. He transferred to a junior college but wound up back in Athens even though he knew the role was mostly to be a backup. He was demoted twice, yet came through each time when his number was called again. Bennett ensured he never would have to buy a drink in his home state by capturing the school's first national title since 1980 last season, and with one more win next Monday night, he can be discussed among the most accomplished signal-callers in the sport.

It’s dynastic destiny vs. a Hollywood fairy tale that originated from deep in the heart of Texas. One final show of respect for the moxie-oozing Max Duggan and the ex-walk-on Bennett. One more opportunity to show that every good defense needs a partner in an explosive offense that is far from run-of-the-mill.

One more game for the trophy to rule them all. One more game for the history books and college football immortality.

It’s going to be hard to top the semifinal thrillers that gifted us Georgia vs. TCU on Jan. 9 in Los Angeles, but we’re sure going to expect greatness to reveal itself in one way or another given what these two programs have become.

Make It Make Sense

Semifinal Superlatives

Best Player: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State

Team of the Week: TCU

Coach of the Week: Kirby Smart, Georgia

Goat of the Week: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

G.O.A.T. of the Week: College football fans

Tweet of the Week

Pre-Snap Reads

ReliaQuest Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Illinois

It is going to be an emotional day no matter what when the Bulldogs take the field, and it’s hard to figure out just how they will play in their first action since the death of Mike Leach last month. The Illini are missing a few key players and coaches, but they probably keep things close until MSU breaks through for a very special win in Tampa.

Cotton Bowl: Tulane vs. USC

Caleb Williams appears to be good to go in this one, which has the chance to turn into quite the track meet given the two offensive-minded head coaches, a lack of defense and some incredible skill position talent. The Trojans get the nod but don’t be shocked if the Green Wave keep this a game deep into the fourth quarter.

Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Purdue

It was already going to be tough for the Boilermakers to compete against an SEC side like the Tigers but when you toss in the opt-outs and missing coaches, the deck seems stacked against the Big Ten East champs. They may hang around for a half but LSU’s athleticism lets them roll after the break.

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Utah

The Granddaddy of them All won’t be the same after this one, likely the final traditional Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup beneath those lovely San Gabriels and a perfect setting sun. Kyle Whittingham labeled his group a transitional team given some of the missing starters, and that’s something PSU is dealing with as well. The Nittany Lions might get out to an early lead with an explosive play or two but in the end, it’s the Utes who get the job done from Pasadena.

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Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.