Prediction - TCU Will Defeat Georgia

If I gambled my money and if doing so were legal in my current location I would absolutely put some money on the Texas Christian University’s Horned Frogs defeating the University of Georgia’s Bulldogs in the national champtionship game that will be played tomorrow night. I don’t gamble, but I’m just saying, I’d put some skin in this game.

My main justification for this prediction is that when I look at the rosters for both teams, one thing really jumps out to me: TCU is loaded with seniors, some of them the rare six-year senior due to players getting a burner year because of the covid shutdown. Georgia, by comparion, is loaded with sophomores. That means that the Horned Frogs are fielding players that are three to four years older than the UGA players.

Among the eleven offensive starters for TCU, five are seniors, and the remaining six are juniors. All the TCU starters are upperclassmen. The reserves doesn’t have much fall off, either, as seven are upperclassmen. On defense, TCU fields eight upperclassmen as starters, and eight more as reserves. This is a top-heavy team with a lot of experience and maturity. It’s a team that will not defeat itself with penalties and mistakes. Expect a well-oiled machine.

Georgia, however, is a different story. The Bulldogs field only three seniors among the offensive starters, and another four juniors, giving them seven upperclassmen. The reserves are comprised of only one senior and three juniors. It is even worse on defense, with only four upperclassmen among the starters, and four among the reserves. This is a young team, so for them to get this far means that they are a talented and well-coached group for sure, and one would think that the talent level is higher than that of TCU.

Darnell Washington, Georgia’s behemoth tight end, sustained an ankle injury against Ohio State last week and is questionable for this game. I think he will play, but probably not at 100%. I’ve watched the Bulldogs play several times this season, and Washington was an obvious impact player who presents defenses with a difficult matchup, so if he’s not 100%, that really boosts TCU’s chances, I think.

At quarterback, it is the rare wash for Georgia as Stetson Bennett is almost always the best quarterback on the field. I really like Bennett. He’s that scrappy and squirrelly college quarterback with loads of experience and poise. He’s not going to play a down of football in the NFL, but for the college game, one could hardly ask for a better field general. Max Duggan, the TCU quarterback, is just as experienced as Bennett and is something like a prototypical NFL passer and he’s probably better than Bennett. It is a wash at this position.

The bottom line is that we have a matchup between a highly talented Georgia squad and a highly experienced TCU squad. I think Georgia has been playing on borrowed time and is due to lose a game. TCU lost a game to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship game, and I think that is a good thing. It adds a dimension to that squad’s experience that Georgia doesn’t have as the Bulldogs haven’t lost a game this season.

I would bet on experience here and put my money on the Horned Frogs to upset the Georgia Bulldogs.