College Football: Georgia, Michigan, TCU, Ohio State to Play for National Title

Posted on: December 4, 2022, 12:56h. 

Last updated on: December 4, 2022, 06:51h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

The College Football Playoff field is now set. On New Year’s Eve, Michigan will play TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, and Georgia will face-off against Ohio State in the Peach Bowl for the chance to play for the national title.

Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate winning the SEC Championship Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Bulldogs, the defending national champs, will return there on Dec. 31 to play Ohio State in a College Football Playoff semifinal. (Image: Kayla Renie/UGAAA)

The pairings were announced officially early Sunday afternoon. There had been some discussion over the past day whether No. 3 TCU would stay in the mix or drop down a spot after losing 31-28 in overtime to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship. But ultimately, the 13-member selection committee decided to keep the Horned Frogs where they were.

Many experts considered Ohio State as a lock to get in the playoffs after Southern Cal lost the Pac-12 title game Friday night to Utah.

While many believe Ohio State is a better team than TCU, CFP Selection Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan told ESPN Sunday that TCU’s “body of work” led to the Horned Frogs receiving the higher seed over the Buckeyes. He also shot down implications that the committee wanted to avoid a rematch in the semifinals between Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan, which beat the Buckeyes 45-23 on Nov. 26 in Columbus.

Our goal was to get the right four, ultimately the right 25, as we go through this, and make sure we got them in the right order regardless of matchups and conferences and the rest of it,” said Corrigan, who also serves as NC State’s athletic director.

The New Year’s Eve winners will meet in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 9 for the College Football Championship.

FanDuel Posted Odds Early

While the official pairings weren’t announced until shortly after noon ET Sunday, FanDuel had spreads posted hours before the reveal. They listed Michigan as a 9.5-point favorite over TCU and Georgia as a 6.5-point favorite over Ohio State.

Both games also had total points set at 58.5, although that’s since been bumped up to 59.5.

CFP Odds
Odds current as of Sunday afternoon and are subject to change.

A message to FanDuel was not immediately returned on Sunday.

While Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State are considered perennial powers in college football, TCU has been a respected program, but is not considered on the same tier. SportsOddsHistory.com noted that the Horned Frogs were not among the 17 teams BetMGM listed on its preseason futures board to even make the playoff.

Georgia Favored to Win Title

Georgia remains the favorite to repeat as national champion, as FanDuel has the Bulldogs listed at -130, meaning a $130 wager would return a profit of $100. Michigan is the second choice at +280, meaning a $100 wager would net a $280 profit. Ohio State is next at +360, while TCU is a heavy underdog at +1600.

FanDuel also has odds on the “field” against Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State. The field (Michigan, Ohio State, and TCU) against Georgia is a near even-money pick, +102, to win the national title. With Georgia being in the field against Michigan and Ohio State, the odds drop sharply, to -400 and -600, respectively.