The 2022-23 college football season comes to a close Monday evening in Los Angeles, as reigning champion No. 1 Georgia tries to defend its crown against No. 3 TCU in what FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt is calling a “true David and Goliath” matchup.
On Thursday, Klatt broke down what fans can expect from both the Bulldogs and the Horned Frogs, and he gave his prediction on how he believes this highly anticipated tilt will play out on the latest edition of “The Joel Klatt Show.”
Here are some key things to know about both sides of the National Championship Game and what to watch out for:
Georgia’s balance
“Georgia is trying to do something that has become increasingly rare in college football, and that is to be a back-to-back champ. We’ve seen it before, yes, but it doesn’t happen very often. … Who [has] been the best team in the country the last two years? Georgia. And to be honest, it hasn’t been all that close. In fact, if you look at their last 33 games that they’ve played, they’re 32-1, and that semifinal game against Ohio State was only the fifth time in those 33 games that they trailed during any point of a fourth quarter. That’s pretty special. This is a dominant bunch. …
“They are a balanced team both offensively and defensively. … While they didn’t have great sack numbers for the entirety of the season, they have been able to put some pressure on the quarterback during the course of big matchups. … Their best trait is their ability to stop the run with those defensive tackles, and then — they’re fast.”
Can Georgia win back-to-back national championships?
Georgia, which is the first team to come back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit in any College Football Playoff game, is looking to be the first back-to-back national champions since Alabama did it in 2011 and 2012.
TCU’s star power
“I think we severely underestimate what TCU is from a cumulative talent perspective. … TCU is very explosive on the offensive side. They’re balanced — they can run it, they can throw it. On defense, they’re opportunistic, but they are tough as nails. And guess what they can do? Run! They make up for some of their mistakes … by running. … In a lot of ways, these two teams can mirror each other. … I think that the difference is that TCU can be wildly explosive on the offense side.
“They’ve got 21 plays this year of 50 yards or more. That’s a lot. It speaks to the speed they have on that side of the ball, they aggressiveness of their play caller Garrett Riley, the ability of their quarterback Max Duggan to throw the ball with efficiency down the field, … and they have a really good wide receiver in Quentin Johnston on the outside. Some believe — and I’m starting to fall into this category — that Johnston might be the first wide receiver taken in the NFL draft.”
Can TCU go from unranked in the preseason to beating Georgia?
TCU is aiming to become the first team to start the season unranked in a preseason AP poll to go on and win a national title since Georgia Tech accomplished this feat in 1990.
Klatt’s prediction
“I think it might be a closer game than we anticipate. Why? TCU has exactly what you need to threaten Georgia. I talked about this at length before the semifinal between Ohio State and Georgia. To beat Georgia, you have to have the ability to run the ball at least somewhat effectively. You don’t have to dominate on the ground, but you at least have you keep them honest with your run game, and then you’ve got to have players on the outside that can win one-on-one matchups.
“If you have that, you can create big plays … and that player changes how Kirby Smart has to defend, so [Georgia has] to start borrowing from areas of their defense, and it opens up other areas of the field. … You’ve got to have a quarterback that can throw it and run it, and that’s exactly what Duggan is. … TCU will have the full attention of the Georgia Bulldogs, so in the end, I think Georgia will win this game and win their second national championship in as many years.
“Having said that, I think there will be points scored and this is going to be close late. In the last two games, Georgia has given up 71 points. They had given up 72 points in the previous six (games). Why is that? Well, they faced teams that could throw it, that could run it, that have had dynamic play callers … and they’re about to have that with TCU.”
Can TCU threaten Georgia in the national title game?
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