This is it. We’re one game away from crowning a national champion. Can the Georgia Bulldogs create college football history by winning consecutive championships, or will the TCU Horned Frogs football fairy tale have a happily-ever-after ending? We’ve got all the latest college football betting odds and a Georgia vs. TCU prediction for the 2023 College Football National Championship.
Georgia vs. TCU Betting Preview
- Spread
Georgia (-13) - Moneyline
Georgia (-475), TCU (+380) - Over/Under
62.5 - Game Time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
SoFi Stadium, Ingelwood, CA - Predicted weather
55.4 degrees, clear, 3.7 mph winds - How to watch
ESPN, fuboTV
Has the Horned Frogs’ football fairy tale got you feeling financially frisky? Could the Bulldogs bolster your bank account if you bet on them winning a second consecutive College Football National Championship? Let’s examine the Georgia vs. TCU odds to see where there might be some money to be made on Monday.
Georgia opens the early betting for the 2023 College Football National Championship as a 13-point favorite. With an average margin of victory of 24.6 points and winning 11 of their 14 games this year by more than 13, it’s easy to understand why. That said, they’ve only covered the spread in 50% of their games this season, failing to cover by an average of 1.5 points across the year.
MORE: Top 25 College Football Power Rankings
Meanwhile, TCU has been one of the most competent teams covering the spread this year. They’re 10-3-1 ATS, covering in 76.9% of their games and by an average of nine points per game. They’ve won and covered every game they’ve been underdogs this season, including the Fiesta Bowl triumph over Michigan. That said, they’ve never been a double-digit underdog during this incredible 2022 campaign.
By the nature of their defensively driven dominance, Georgia covers the over in just 42.9% of their games. Meanwhile, TCU has hit the over in 57.1% of their matchups this season. Five of the previous eight title games have hit the 62-point line (however, two of the three that didn’t featured the Bulldogs). Our Georgia vs. TCU prediction has the answers to who wins the title and how.
Prediction for Georgia vs. TCU
Whatever happens in SoFi Stadium on Monday night, we’re about to witness college football history in the making. No team in the College Football Playoff era has won consecutive national titles. Kirby Smart’s Georgia team sits on the precipice of that achievement after their remarkable unbeaten run to Inglewood. After the obliteration of their 2021 roster, not many thought it was possible. Yet, here we are.
“Impossible is nothing” is a well-known advertising slogan that should forever be adopted by Sonny Dykes’ TCU team. Unranked and unfancied after a 5-7 campaign that saw substantial change within the program, the Horned Frogs have become the archetypal football fairy tale, a David vs. Goliath story if you’re more biblically attuned. With a win on Monday night, they’ll become the first Big 12 team to win the College Football National Championship in the current four-team format.
Let’s start our Georgia vs. TCU prediction with the Horned Frogs, for they have been counted out and disrespected many times throughout this incredible season. Their defense was derided, their legitimacy questioned, and their candidacy to play on the biggest stage belittled. However, when they have been tested, they have come forth as gold. As a result, foolishly casting aside their chances is exactly that. Foolish.
Can TCU win on Monday night? Of course they can. When you’re led by a quarterback like Max Duggan, who has battled and scrapped for every modicum of success that he’s enjoyed this season, there is always a chance. When you have a wide receiver of the caliber of Quentin Johnston, there’s always a chance. With running backs like Kendre Miller and Emari Demercado, there’s always a chance.
Johnston’s role in this fairy-tale ending is perhaps the most significant. The vaunted Georgia defense struggled to contain Ohio State magician Marvin Harrison Jr. in their narrow Peach Bowl victory. Arguably, Harrison’s departure from the game allowed the Bulldogs safe passage through to the 2023 College Football National Championship. Johnston is a different beast to the Buckeyes WR1, but he’s a beast that the secondary, particularly Kelee Ringo, may struggle to contain.
While giving up 45 points to Michigan might not be seen as a resounding success, the TCU defense showed that they’re no pushover during the Fiesta Bowl. Dylan Horton and Dee Winters lived in the opposition backfield, and two interceptions and goal-line stops helped get the Horned Frogs over the Fiesta Bowl finish line. Limiting third and fourth-down conversions were also significant. Holding the Wolverines’ vaunted ground game beneath five yards per carry proved crucial.
MORE: TCU Playoff History: Wins, National Championship Appearances, and More
So, TCU can win. The recipe is there for Horned Frogs success on Monday night in SoFi Stadium. The question now for our Georgia vs. TCU prediction is — will they win?
Stetson Bennett IV might have a little something to say about that. For every inch Duggan has had to fight for, so has the former walk-on turned national champion and Heisman Trophy finalist. Bennett’s journey has been as unlikely as the comeback he engineered in the Peach Bowl. When the defense often credited with carrying the title aspirations in Athens failed, Bennett produced a comeback performance that Bulldogs fans will talk about for a long, long time.
Between Bennett, a triple-headed ground game juggernaut featuring Kenny McIntosh, Daijun Edwards, and Kendall Milton, and a plethora of pass catchers led by Brock Bowers, the offense can turn it on when needed. Behind an impressive offensive line, no team in the nation converts fourth-down opportunities with the same success. Few are as adept on third down, either. If you allow them to make it to the red zone, they score on 97.4% of opportunities. Clinical.
The Georgia defense took a hit, both statistically and to their reputation, in the Peach Bowl defeat to Ohio State. Their inability to contain C.J. Stroud both aerially and on the ground was not typical of their endeavors this season.
However, in holding the Ohio State running backs to 79 yards and 3.7 yards per carry for the entire game (including Stroud’s scrambling shenanigans), they showcased the blueprint to beating TCU in the title game.
Georgia may bend violently against Johnston. But ultimately, the only thing that will be broken in SoFi Stadium will be the hearts of the Horned Frogs as the Bulldogs cap off this most unpredictable of college football seasons by making history.
Prediction: Georgia 33, TCU 30
