College Basketball Predictions. SEC Picks, Lines For Saturday, February 25

SEC college basketball predictions, lines, how to watch for Saturday, February 25

College basketball predictions and lines for every SEC game on Saturday, February 25


[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

How have the college basketball picks been so far?
Top 25: Straight Up 117-27, ATS 87-56-1, O/U 84-60
Overall: Straight Up 674-299, ATS 557-407-6, O/U  541-425-4

Saturday College Basketball Predictions
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
American Athletic, Big East, Mountain West
CFN College Basketball Rankings top 68
Latest NCAA Tournament Bracket Predictions

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Missouri at Georgia Prediction

Game Time: 1:00 ET
How To Watch: SEC Network
Prediction: Missouri 77, Georgia 74
Line: Missouri -3.5, o/u: 151

Arkansas at Alabama Prediction

Game Time: 2:00 ET
How To Watch: ESPN2
Prediction: Alabama 99, Arkansas 71
Line: Alabama -8.5, o/u: 151.5

Texas A&M at Mississippi State Prediction

Game Time: 1:00 ET
How To Watch: ESPN
Prediction: Texas A&M 70, Mississippi State 67
Line: PICK, o/u: 127

Auburn at Kentucky Prediction

Game Time: 4:00 ET
How To Watch: CBS
Prediction: Kentucky 76, Auburn 71
Line: Kentucky -4, o/u: 144

South Carolina at Tennessee Prediction

Game Time: 6:00 ET
How To Watch: SEC Network
Prediction: Tennessee 68, South Carolina 57
Line: Tennessee -20, o/u: 129.5

Florida at Vanderbilt Prediction

Game Time: 6:00 ET
How To Watch: ESPN2
Prediction: Vanderbilt 69, Florida 66
Line: Vanderbilt -3.5, o/u: 145

LSU at Ole Miss Prediction

Game Time: 8:30 ET
How To Watch: SEC Network
Prediction: LSU 65, Ole Miss 62
Line: Ole Miss -4.5, o/u: 135.5

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Coaches Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
College Football All-Time Rankings Coaches Poll | AP Poll

Georgia vs Auburn Prediction, College Basketball Game Preview

Georgia vs Auburn preview, prediction, and breakdown for the college basketball game on Wednesday, February 1

Georgia vs Auburn prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Wednesday, February 1


Georgia vs Auburn How To Watch

Date: Wednesday, February 1
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Neville Arena, Auburn, AL
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: Georgia (14-7), Auburn (16-5)
Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings 
Coaches Poll,
All-Time College Basketball Rankings
College Football All-Time Rankings Coaches Poll | AP Poll
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Georgia vs Auburn Game Preview

Why Georgia Will Win

The Dawgs got them the first time around.

Georgia can D up from three, it’s good on the glass, and it’s just deep enough to keep everyone fresh. That, and it’s great on the free throw line, which turned out to be a big deal in the 76-64 win over the Tigers in early January.

Auburn couldn’t hit anything from three, it was a mess defensively with way too many fouls, and Georgia was uncharacteristically great at forcing turnovers. That all has to happen again.

Expect a whole lot of Auburn fouls – that’s what it does. Expect Auburn to not do much from three – it has to get on the move. Both of those things should work for Georgia, but …

Why Auburn Will Win

Georgia has hit a snag.

Just when it seemed like it was about to be a factor, it fell into a rut. That’s partly because it’s been on the road a bunch lately.

The team has been fantastic at home so far going 11-1, but that one loss was two weeks ago against Vanderbilt, and then it struggled to get by South Carolina. On the road it has been a disaster going 1-5.

The Dawg offense screws up way too much, and it won’t get anything from three against an attacking Auburn defense that doesn’t let anyone get a free look.

Along with all of the fouls, Auburn will generate a ton of takeaways.

What’s Going To Happen

This is big.

It’s not like a loss would mean things are slipping away for Auburn, but it lost two in a row, the defense hasn’t been amazing lately, and it could use a big outing to stop the slide now.

Auburn is 16-0 when allowing fewer than 74 points and 0-6 when allowing that many or more. Georgia will be held just under that in a great effort from the Tiger D over the first ten minutes and the last five.

Georgia vs Auburn Prediction, Line

Auburn 73, Georgia 64
Line: Auburn -12, o/u: 141.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Ranking: 3
CFN Fearless Predictions

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Coaches Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
AP Poll, All-Time College Basketball Rankings
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
College Football All-Time Rankings Coaches Poll | AP Poll

Georgia Football Schedule 2023: Analysis, Breakdown, 3 Things To Know

Georgia football schedule 2023 analysis, breakdown, 3 things to know

Georgia football schedule 2023: Who do the Bulldogs miss on the SEC schedule and what are 3 things to know?


Georgia Football Schedule 2023: 3 Things To Know

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Sept 2 UT Martin

Sept 9 Ball State

Sept 16 South Carolina

Sept 23 UAB

Sept 30 at Auburn

Oct 7 Kentucky

Oct 14 at Vanderbilt

Oct 21 OPEN DATE

Oct 28 Florida (in Jacksonville)

Nov 4 Missouri

Nov 11 Ole Miss

Nov 18 at Tennessee

Nov 25 at Georgia Tech

2023 College Football Rankings 1-133: First Look

Georgia Football Schedule What To Know: Who do the Bulldogs miss from the SEC slate?

The two-time defending national champs don’t have to deal with Alabama, LSU, or Texas A&M. Those are all possible contenders to challenge for the SEC title. Even for a team as strong as this, not playing those three helps.

They also miss Arkansas and Mississippi State. That leaves just Ole Miss and Auburn from the West – that’s okay considering the Rebels have to come to Athens.

Georgia Football Schedule What Really Matters

Overall the schedule isn’t that bad – more on that in a moment – but the two biggest games on the slate aren’t in Athens.

Florida and Tennessee.

Obviously the game with the Gators is – as always – in Jacksonville, and the date with Tennessee is in Knoxville. That’s not to say the Dawgs shouldn’t win or won’t be favored, but they should by expected to rip through everyone else on the slate by at least double-digits. If they get by the Vols and Gators, it’ll be smooth sailing because …

Georgia Football Schedule What To Know: What does it all really mean?

It would’ve been nice to see Georgia get someone nasty in non-conference play.

The Oregon game to open last season wasn’t exactly competitive, but at least that was a big program on big program crime. This year’s non-conference schedule? UT Martin, Ball State, UAB, and Georgia Tech.

Will any of those four come within 24 of the Dawgs?

With no Alabama or LSU on the slate, that means anything less than 11-1 would be a total disappointment. That means the season will be about focus. There was a blip in 2022 against Missouri, and the Kent State game took a while to wake up for, but both were wins. It’s going to take a total mental lapse not to roll though this schedule.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

2023 College Football Schedules: All 133 Teams

Georgia 65, TCU 7 College Football Playoff National Championship What Happened, What It All Means

Georgia 65, TCU 7: College Football Playoff National Championship what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Georgia beat TCU to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?


Georgia 65, TCU 7 College Football Playoff National Championship What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

College Football Playoff National Championship What Happened

Georgia came up with the biggest blowout in the history of college football bowl games. It started scoring right away and didn’t stop, scoring 13 or more in every quarter – it was complete and total domination.

Stetson Bennett started the fun with a 21-yard scoring run. TCU turned it over but held the Dawgs to a field goal, Max Duggan ran for a two-yard score after connecting on a big bomb to Derius Davis to make it 10-7, and that was it. The Bulldogs scored 55 unanswered points.

Bennett ran for two scores and threw four touchdown passes. He found Ladd McConkey for two scores, combined with Brock Bowers for a 35-yard score, and turned it into a disastrous blowout with a 22-yard strike to Adoni Mitchell for a 38-7 halftime lead.

TCU didn’t do anything right. Georgia had a ton to do with that, but it only finished with 188 yards, the ground game finished with just 36 yards, and it was over after the first quarter.

100 Best Bowl Players | Ranking How Good the Bowls Were
CFN Final Rankings 1-131

College Football Playoff National Championship Player of the Game

Stetson Bennett, QB Georgia
He completed 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards and four scores, and ran three times for 39 yards and two touchdowns.

College Football Playoff National Championship Fun Stats

– Sacks: Georgia 5 – TCU 0

– Total Yards: Georgia 589 – TCU 199

– First Downs: Georgia 32 – TCU 9

Georgia 65, TCU 7 Quarter-by-Quarter Reactions, Thoughts

College Football Playoff National Championship What It All Means

Georgia just did the 2021 season one better. Last year’s team was better, more talented, and … it lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship. This year’s defense wasn’t as good, but the team was perfect. It closed out with the biggest win in the history of bowl games, it totally outmatched TCU in every way, and it proved one key thing – talent matters.

Now everyone will be talking about doing it a third time in a row, but the SEC is still very, very, very good. Alabama will be better. Tennessee will be better. Florida will be better. The SEC will be nasty as always, and nothing is ever a given in that league. For now, though, Georgia just finished off a historic two-year run. It might not win the national title next year, but it’s going to be in the mix for a long, long time.

TCU had a magical season no matter what this final score was. It went from being picked seventh in the Big 12 to start the season to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Nah, it didn’t win the Big 12 title, but no one remembers that or cares because of the amazing performance against Michigan. However, the defense allowed 104 points over the last six quarters of the season, and it’s not because it did anything wrong other than go against elite teams with elite offensive parts. Again, the talent just wasn’t there compared to college football’s monsters.

But it got here. It got to play on the biggest stage, and Alabama didn’t. Ohio State didn’t. Clemson, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and on and on and on didn’t.  No, 65-7 doesn’t really matter any more than 10-7 – it was still a loss. TCU got its shot.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

2022-2023 Bowl Schedule, Predictions

Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship Live Game Updates, Thoughts, Reactions

Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship live thoughts, updates, and comments as the game goes on

Georgia vs TCU: Thoughts, live updates, reactions during the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Georgia vs TCU: College Football Playoff National Championship

CFP National Championship Thoughts
Pregame | First Quarter
Second Quarter | Third & Fourth Quarter

Georgia vs TCU live updates, thoughts, reactions: Pregame

Dear lord … 24 years in a row I’ve been doing this. I wanted to do this from Los Angeles – never been in SoFi – but couldn’t make it out and had to bail at the last second. Considering the incessant whining coming from everyone I know who’s out there, I’m good.

Last year’s CFP National Championship: Georgia over Alabama

For the moment, all the rain and cold stalls my stumping for every major sporting event to be played in LA and San Diego – if it had the facilities for it – but Miami is still on.

Out of all the ESPN gimmicky gamecasts about to kick in, I’m looking for the one that shows this game being close.

Slightly off-topic … this is the game potentially built for all the different versions. Like the fantastic Manning thing on Monday Night Football, the alternative options are great when the game sucks. When the game is great, you want the announcers of record.

If you have Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling a College Football Playoff National Championship, I’m not sure why you need any of the 1,248 other options ESPN has to take away from its No. 1 team.

It’s not TCU’s fault. It has been a magnificent story, and it’s been a fantastic thing for college football just to get here. TCU earned it – there’s no such thing as a cheap run to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

With all of that said, this would have been a very, very, very different day if it was Michigan vs Georgia. There’s just NO national buzz for this – I’m doing my best. Everyone is far more focused on the NFL Playoffs.

CFP National Championship Preview
CFP National Championship Top Prop Bets

Excuse me, Stewardess, I speak Nick Saban. The GameDay panel is trying to pump this game up, and Saban is doing his best to be nice about it – he’s all but saying TCU has no shot of handling the Georgia lines.

I agree.

Saban is fantastic on the GameDay pregame show. Even the hardest-core of coaches are great when they get to tell war stories and talk football. Get most of them them out of their lane, though, and there’s a big, big problem.

TCU has made me look ridiculous all year – and I certainly don’t need any help doing that. I’m still arguing that Michigan will win the Fiesta Bowl. With that said, I do think TCU will score, it’ll get the passing game going, and it’ll make this interesting …

For a half.

This isn’t the Georgia defense of last year – TCU will throw on it. The scores will be there, but eventually the Georgia D will generate the third down stops needed

Social media will go nuts – TCU might even be up going into the locker room. And then hell and the Georgia talent will come to breakfast – or to the all bacon-inspired spread traditionally served in the media hospitality area after the national title game.

All I want is a classic battle. I want America to be talking about this all day tomorrow, I want the College Football Playoff National Championship to be great again – last year’s was fine, even if it wasn’t all that well played – and …

Georgia by more than 13.5. It might take a little while to get there, but the last ten minutes will be about the Dawgs.

Let’s have some fun.

CFP National Championship Thoughts
Pregame | First Quarter
Second Quarter | Third & Fourth Quarter

NEXT: Georgia vs TCU: College Football Playoff National Championship First Quarter

Georgia vs TCU 10 Best CFP National Championship Predictions, Prop Bets

Georgia vs TCU top prop bets for the College Football Playoff National Championship … if you dare to dabble.

What ten Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship predictions and prop bets appear to be the best bets and picks?


[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09m93q11d4tbgfy player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

10 Best CFP National Championship Prop Bets 
No. 5 | No. 4 | No. 3 | No. 2 | No. 1

Would you have been more fired up if this was Georgia or Ohio State vs Michigan? Probably, but TCU keeps on getting disrespected and it keeps on making everyone – hand raised – look silly.

Whether or not this is a classic, or if it’s a strange blowout one way or another, here are the ten best-looking prop bets, predictions, and picks for the Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship.

One of the keys here is value. Many of the props and ideas might conflict with others, so consider this a ranking based on potential payoff to go along with the possibilities depending on which way you’re leaning.

The lines are based on BetMGM’s latest props.

CFN Georgia vs TCU Preview, Prediction
Experts Picks: National Championship

10. TCU Money Line, Both Teams Will Score 30 or More

LINE: +900

Let’s start with this caveat.

If you believe TCU really does have a shot at winning, then there’s a whole lot of value out there to be had.

Let’s put it this way. If TCU does do this, it’s probably not going to be a 7-3 defensive struggle. It beat Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta. It got past West Virginia 41-31. The SMU win was 42-34, and the double-OT thriller over Oklahoma State was 43-40.

On the other side, Georgia scored 30 or more 11 times in 14 games. So again, if you’re feeling it for TCU, going with the shootout to go along with the W isn’t a bad play.

And then there’s the opposite of that …

9. Georgia Money Line, Both Teams Will NOT Score 10 or More

LINE: +1100

If you’re into the idea of Georgia winning this, it’s not crazy to think this might be a total wipeout.

The Bulldog defense went bye-bye against Ohio State, and it took half the day off in the SEC Championship win over LSU, but this is still the SEC’s best defense that allowed just 14.8 points per game.

Remember, this is the D that held Oregon to three points. And went on the road to beat South Carolina 48-7. And held Kentucky to six.

The problem is the 10 or more. Georgia totally wiped out Auburn and won 42-10, and it dominated Mississippi State in a 45-19 win. Texas held TCU to 17 points, and that’s the closest anyone came to keeping that O in check. However, again, if you like Georgia, would you be that shocked if it makes a 41-7 statement?

Yeah you would, but that’s why this is at +1100.

Now let’s swing back the other way …

8. Both Teams Will Score 10 or More Points in the 1st Quarter

LINE: (Yes) +1150

It’s +1150 for a reason, but it’s not unreasonable to ask both teams to go off to a hot start.

TCU is known for its comebacks – it put up 148 points in the fourth quarters of games – but it also dominated in the first quarters, too, outscoring teams 148-65. Georgia put up 122 points in the first quarters. The problem is the Dawg D – it allowed just 30 points all year in the first frame.

Again, we’re going for outside-the-box value here. If the two teams start trading haymakers, a 10-10 first quarter might seem like Christmas is still here.

And now, to keep your head on a swivel and make you a tad dizzy before we settle in …

7. Both Team Will Score 10 or More

LINE: (No) +950

To keep hammering this home, I’m looking to value to potentially help any already held beliefs.

I don’t think the Georgia defense is going to come out and shut down the TCU offense to a dead stop, but if you think this is going to be a coronation and total wipeout, +950 is a great idea.

The smarter one is to go with the +180 on NO, both teams won’t hit 20. 38-17 is far more reasonable if you’re not trying to be greedy.

Enough with the wacky fliers. Let’s go with six more realistic options, starting with …

How good was your bowl? Ranking all the bowl games

6. TCU Wins by 1-to-6 Points

LINE+750

TCU has made me look ridiculous all season long, so this would hardly be my first time. I think Georgia rolls in this – I’ll get into all that at the end.

But if TCU pulls this off – and as we’ve learned, disrespect the Horned Frogs at your own peril – I highly-doubt it’ll be a some 41-20 whacking. 35-31? Yeah, that’s the most likely spread.

So to repeat this line, if you like TCU to win, this is the best combination of value and likelihood. +750 on a walk-off field goal? That would be so 2022 TCU.

10 Best CFP National Championship Prop Bets 
No. 5 | No. 4 | No. 3 | No. 2 | No. 1

NEXT: Georgia vs TCU: Top 5 CFP National Championship Predictions, Best Prop Bets

College Football Playoff National Championship: Why You Should Cheer For Georgia

College Football Playoff National Championship – why to cheer for Georgia

The College Football Playoff National Championship is here between Georgia and TCU. Here’s why you should cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs to win.


College Football Playoff National Championship: Why You Should Cheer For Georgia

[jwplayer PkCtjTd4-boEY74VG]

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Between everyone I know who lives for Michigan and Ohio State football, I haven’t had time to deal with the freak-out factor from all my Georgia friends worrying about a gag.

Georgia is very good at college football, and it’s okay

When did we stop liking amazing sports teams?

I get it. There’s a knee-jerk reaction against rooting for anything to do with the SEC.

From the “It Just Means More” slogan – loose Latin translation: we don’t have enough meaningful pro sports in our part of the country – to all the success over the years, to dealing with the blowhards when daring to point out even the slightest flaw, it’s easy to want anyone else to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

But there’s one key thing missing when it comes to the rise of the Georgia Bulldogs under Kirby Smart: credit.

It wasn’t a given that Georgia would be this good. It wasn’t a given that it would finally get over the hump and win the national title last year, and it certainly wasn’t a given that it would get to LA this season, much less be the prohibitive favorite after losing an epic class of players to the NFL.

And it sure as shoot wasn’t a given when Ohio State had it against the ropes for a full 60 minutes of an epic Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Yes, of course Georgia is seen as the big, bad, SEC program after years of great recruiting and building up the talent level, but Smart gets credit for that. That’s it. That’s the game. Bring in great talent, coach it all up, and bring in more. That’s how it works.

You think it’s easy to for all big-time programs to be amazing? How many Texas A&M SEC Championship t-shirts do you own?

Georgia vs TCU CFP National Championship Preview, Prediction

Texas was one USC first down away from still being the program that’s done the least with the most.

Tennessee and Florida State are just getting back up to speed. Florida had a losing season. USC and Penn State have yet to be in the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame have yet to win a game in this thing. And then there’s Nebraska – it’s hard to get to the College Football Playoff when you can’t get bowl eligible.

Before pulling it off last year, Georgia hadn’t won a national championship since 1980 – its fan base hasn’t had time yet to become insufferable. But Smart did it. He built off all the close-but-not-quite success of the Mark Richt era and took it up a few notches with loading recruiting classes, lots of wins, and a whole bunch of tough calls, especially at quarterback.

Georgia did the work, it got the job done, and now it’s being portrayed as Goliath in this College Football Playoff National Championship narrative.

First, seriously, Goliath. It’s a rock – D up or duck. Second, and I can’t express this point forcefully enough …

TCU IS A POWER FIVE PROGRAM.

I can’t tell you how many times over the last few weeks I’ve had to correct those who accuse me of a being a Power Five snob – which I totally am – because I picked Michigan to whack TCU and now think Georgia is going to roll.

Picking USC to rip through Tulane – that’s full-on snobbery. TCU? No, it’s not as big as Georgia. No, it doesn’t have all the same advantages. Yes, it’s been part of the Big 12 since 2012.

TCU went 13-0 and won the Rose Bowl in one of its last years in the Mountain West. It got hosed harder than any team in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff after finishing 3rd in the 2014 penultimate rankings and getting bounced out in the final version.

The program has won five of its last six bowl appearances, came up with ten 11-win seasons since 2005, has finished ninth or better in six AP polls since 2008, and …

Yeah, it’s a great story after going 23-24 in the four years before Sonny Dykes took over, and yeah, it’s doing with a bunch of players who’d have a hard time cracking the Georgia two-deep. But it’s here, making it the most accomplished college football program in Texas during the College Football Playoff era.

College Football Playoff National Championship: Why To Cheer For TCU

Georgia is also here as it tries to become the first back-to-back College Football Playoff National Champion.

It’s okay to cheer for that. It’s okay to cheer for a team that lost most of its key starters to the NFL last season. It’s okay to cheer for Georgia to win this.

It’s okay to cheer for greatness.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

College Football Expert Picks Predictions: Georgia vs TCU, North Dakota State vs South Dakota State

College Football Expert picks and predictions for the January 2nd bowl games

College football expert picks, predictions: College Football Playoff National Championship Georgia vs TCU, FCS Championship North Dakota State vs South Dakota State


[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

* next to the pick means the team will win, but not cover.
Click on each game for the game preview and CFN Prediction

National Championship College Football Expert Picks 
CFP Championship: Georgia vs TCU | Over/Under
NFL Week 18 Expert Picks

North Dakota State vs South Dakota State

FCS National Championship

Line: South Dakota State -5

Eric Bolin, RazorbacksWire.com: SDSU*
Evan Bredeson, CornhuskersWire.com: SDSU
Tony Cosolo, ColoradoBuffaloesWire.com: NDSU
Jeff Feyerer, CFN: NDSU
Pete Fiutak, CFN: SDSU
Cami Griffin, LonghornsWire.com: SDSU
Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com: SDSU*
Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire.com: SDSU
Jeremy Mauss, MWwire.com: NDSU
Kevin McGuire, NittanyLionsWire.com: NDSU
Big Game Ben Niewoehner, CFN: NDSU
E, CFN: NDSU
Tyler Nettuno, LSUTigerswire.com: NDSU
Zack Pearson, TarHeelswire.com SDSU
Johnny Rosenstein, SportsBookWire.com: SDSU
Nick Shepkowski, FightingIrishWire.comNDSU
Scott Steehn, WinnersandWhiners.com: SDSU*
Joe Vitale, UGAWire.com: SDSU
Clucko the Chicken (a coin flip), CFN: SDSU
CONSENSUS PICK: South Dakota State

National Championship College Football Expert Picks 
\CFP Championship: Georgia vs TCU | Over/Under
NFL Week 18 Expert Picks

NEXT: Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship

Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff National Championship First Thoughts, Prediction

Georgia vs TCU CFP National Championship first thoughts, early prediction

It’s Georgia vs TCU for the College Football Playoff National Championship. The first reaction, initial thoughts, and early prediction


[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Georgia vs TCU College Football Playoff First Thoughts, Early Prediction

Peach Bowl: Georgia – Ohio State 5 Thoughts
Fiesta Bowl: TCU – Michigan 5 Thoughts
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

5. TCU is really in the College Football Playoff National Championship

The dust has settled, the Georgia win over Ohio State was an amazing enough game to take some of the attention away from the TCU win over Michigan, so now we can speak freely here …

Michigan royally screwed that up.

Of course TCU deserves the credit for pulling it off. It’s making the trip to Los Angeles and 129 other college football teams aren’t. The offense ripped through a Michigan defense that was among the best in the country all year, the defense came up with two pick sixes, and – oh yeah – Michigan scored 39 points in the second half.

This all just ended a little bit ago, and it’s all still fresh – I might change my mind and thoughts over the next several days – but no one is going to pick TCU to win this. I thought Michigan would rumble though the Horned Frogs – and still do – and will take the own goal after it didn’t happen.

I’ll eat it again if I’m wildly wrong.

TCU will do the “no one believes in us” thing. Yeah, right here. Hand raised.

4. Will the national interest be there without Michigan?

People will watch because if the College Football Playoff National Championship … maybe. And this falls on both sides.

TCU just isn’t that big. It’s a great story, and the fan base is rightfully going out of its mind, but best believe that ESPN people who care about ratings are breaking something tasteful that Michigan didn’t isn’t in this.

Michigan vs Ohio State would be better for national interest, but Michigan vs Georgia wouldn’t have been horrible – even if last year’s meeting in the CFP semis in the Orange was a blowout.

Georgia just doesn’t have any star power outside of the wonky NFL draft football types, and that sort of includes Stetson Bennett.

Unless there’s an unstoppable buzz coming off the semifinals, TCU vs Georgia might have a hard time resonating with the world pivoting to the NFL playoffs.

With that said …

Peach Bowl: Georgia – Ohio State 5 Thoughts
Fiesta Bowl: TCU – Michigan 5 Thoughts

3. The Georgia talent level

Here’s where the obvious concern is.

Michigan has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, but it’s nothing like what Georgia is bringing.

As my overused line goes, there are 3.5 teams in college football at the same elite NFL talent level. Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and the USC offense. TCU had everything go its way against Michigan – and it made its own breaks, of course – and it still took everything in the bag to get out alive.

Michigan isn’t Georgia talent-wise. Almost nobody is. TCU can extra plucky, but those Bulldog lines should be able to take over, and …

Wait, that sounds familiar. It’s like I wrote that about Michigan or something. (Full disclosure: I’ve been a disaster trying to pick for or against TCU this year.)

2. We’re not that lucky to get three amazing College Football Playoff games

It hasn’t happened in the eight years of the College Football Playoff. There was only one good semifinal undercard – Georgia over Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose – and there certainly haven’t been three good games in the tournament. Now we’re spoiled by TCU and Georgia winning like that.

TCU has now broken every mold and expectation, but three good playoff games? Not likely, so if it skews one way, I’m going with …

1. College Football Playoff National Championship first prediction

Georgia 34, TCU 20

Don’t get into a twist over this yet – I’ll adapt and adjust as we go – but I’ll run with the idea that TCU holds down the Bulldogs for a little while, and then the problems kick in up front.

Yes, this was supposed to happen against Michigan, but this Georgia offensive line will barrel away where the Big Ten team didn’t.

TCU will move the ball on the suddenly shaky Georgia defense, but there will be a lot of bending but not breaking. It won’t be enough as Stetson Bennett and the offense go on a flurry early on so the D could take over.

I’m seeing the Oregon game for Georgia. It comes out perfectly polished, scores easily on the first two drives and coasts from there.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Peach Bowl: Georgia – Ohio State 5 Thoughts
Fiesta Bowl: TCU – Michigan 5 Thoughts

Georgia Wins Peach Bowl Over Ohio State: Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts

5 Things That Matter: Georgia hung on to beat Ohio State 42-41 to win the College Football Playoff semifinal Peach Bowl.

Georgia beat Ohio State 42-41 to win the Peach Bowl. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.


[mm-video type=playlist id=01f1343a1wt7q817p7 player_id=none image=https://collegefootballnews.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Georgia beat Ohio State 42-41: Peach Bowl 5 Things That Matter

Peach Bowl College Football Playoff 5 Thoughts 
5. Ohio State had it, but …
4. Stetson Bennett’s big final drive
3. CJ Stroud’s great performance
2. This one was special
1. Georgia possibly making history
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

5. Ohio State had it, but …

Yeah, of course, it’s the brutal reality in football. Kick goes one way, it’s a disastrous collapse after being up 14 going into fourth. Kick goes another way, and the Buckeyes pull off the huge win and probably go win the national title.

Ask Scott Norwood and the 1990s Buffalo Bills what one dumb kick means.

The ugly sports side of social media is all over Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles for badly missing the game-winning field goal attempt – it would’ve been a career long – but 1) there were plenty of chances to put this away, 2) Ohio State didn’t do it and left the door open for 3) the best team in college football over the last two years to pull this off.

The play calling at the very end wasn’t exactly stellar. Ruggles has good range, but that was a 50-yard try in the most pressure-packed of circumstances. The Buckeyes had the ball at the 31 with 19 seconds to play and the time outs to try a few runs to do something to get it closer.

One run lost yards, two incomplete passes, 50-yard try. However, Ruggles nailed a 48-yarder on the team’s previous drive. That was a problem, too.

Ohio State went up six and not ten, partially because of an ill-timed sack on 2nd-and-5 to screw it all up.

The defense didn’t exactly help, either, allowing 18 points in the fourth quarter as Stetson Bennett and company marched at will.

But that’s all nitpicking the finer portions of the game that had a gajillion things go both ways.

The kid missed the kick. That’s the sport.

Peach Bowl College Football Playoff 5 Thoughts 
5. Ohio State had it, but …
4. Stetson Bennett’s big final drive
3. CJ Stroud’s great performance
2. This one was special
1. Georgia possibly making history

NEXT: Stetson Bennett’s amazing final drive