Georgia vs. TCU live updates: What to know about the College Football Playoff championship
There will be some history made Monday night when Georgia and TCU face off in the College Football Playoff national championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Bulldogs can be the first team to repeat as champions in 10 years and would be just the ninth program to achieve the feat. With another upset in the playoff, the Horned Frogs would be one of the unlikeliest teams to win a national title in the modern era of the sport and would be the school’s first football championship since 1938.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, the latest news, analysis and scenes as Georgia and TCU clash throughout the night. Follow along.
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What time do Georgia and TCU kick off?
Follow every game: Latest NCAA College Football Scores and Schedules
The College Football Playoff national championship game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with kickoff scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET.
What TV channel is the College Football Playoff national championship on?
ESPN is televising the game between Georgia and TCU with Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color commentator), Holly Rowe (sideline) and Molly McGrath (sideline) on the call. ESPN Deportes will also have a Spanish-language broadcast.
Latest odds on CFP championship?
Georgia is a 13.5-point favorite, according to Tipico Sportsbook, which has the over/under for total points scored at 62.5.
Georgia vs. TCU expert picks and predictions
Scooby Axson: Georgia
Jace Evans: Georgia
Dan Wolken: Georgia
Erick Smith: Georgia
Paul Myerberg: Georgia
Eddie Timanus: Georgia
Check out USA TODAY’s full game predictions here.
Raining ‘Frogs and Dogs’
It was raining Frogs and Dogs on Monday, one wise guy noted as Texas Christian Horned Frogs fans and Georgia Bulldogs fans scurried inside SoFi Stadium to escape the rain and cold before the College Football Playoff national championship game.
But hundreds of fans braved the elements during an outdoor concert about 2½ hours before kickoff, as temperatures dipped into the 50s.
‘’I’m sure when they got this in L.A. the first thing they said is we’ll have good weather,’’ said John Holmes, who was wearing a Bulldogs jersey and said he had flown in from his home in Atlanta. “So it’s hilarious we have rain in Los Angeles on the day of the national championship.’’
Not everybody appeared to be laughing as they attempted to dodge raindrops and puddles. Which begged the question: Would inclement weather favor the Frogs or Dogs?
“I think frogs like water,’’ Tammy Walden of San Antonio said as she and a group of about 15 TCU fans hustled toward the stadium.
Inside the covered stadium, TCU players were warming up in the dry but breezy, chilly conditions. Those watching the teams warm up could see their own breath.
Outside continued the game before the game: Get to the stadium as dry as possible.
Jay Southworth of Austin said he and his entourage broke out the rain ponchos they’d had for two years and had yet to use.
Mike Michalowicz and John Briggs sported purple wigs and soaked up rain drops and attention from other TCU fans.
“Ironically, it absorbs more rain,’’ Michalowicz said of the wigs. “And as it rains harder, our heads are getting bigger, bringing about this awkward confidence that we’re going to win.’’
Although the rain had let up when Maurice Kinsey arrived at SoFi, he still was dripping – with Georgia regalia. How did he feel about the weather?
“It’s way colder where I live in Northern Virginia, so I’m not tripping,’’ he said.
— Josh Peter, USA TODAY
Why isn’t Georgia’s mascot Uga at the national championship game?
College football’s most well-known live mascot will watch the national championship on television this year. A trip to Los Angeles was too far for Uga X, Georgia football’s beloved bulldog mascot. At 9½ years old, Uga, known as Que by his Seiler family owners, is too old to make an extended journey like he did for the 2017 Rose Bowl. — Ryne Dennis, Athens Banner-Herald
Which teams fell short of repeating as national champions?
By beating TCU, Georgia would become the third program since 1957 to claim back-to-back unshared national championships, joining Nebraska (1994-95) and Alabama (2011-12). Dozens more have tried and failed to capture a second consensus title. If the Frogs are able to pull off the upset, Georgia would be added to the list of teams since 1950 that made a strong run at back-to-back crowns but came up just short. The list includes:
- 2019 Clemson (14-1)
- 2016 Alabama (14-1)
- 2009 Florida (13-1)
- 2005 Southern California (12-1; wins later vacated by NCAA sanctions)
- 2002 Miami (Fla.) (12-1)
- 2000 Florida State (11-2)
- 1986 Oklahoma (11-1)
- 1964 Texas (10-1)
- 1957 Oklahoma (10-1)
- 1953 Michigan State (9-1)
— Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY
Read more on the back-to-back champions here.
— Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY
Can TCU make Georgia look like Michigan?
Winning the physical battle against the Wolverines suggests TCU will be able to achieve a degree of success on the ground against Georgia.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Continue reading Dan Wolken’s column here.
Continue reading this USA TODAY Sports feature on Dykes here.
doesn’t just accept that the game might be a shootout — he practically expects it. And over his seven years as a head coach, the Bulldogs have evolved to the point where they’re built for it.
“It’s important to me that we’re good on defense and we’re explosive on offense,” Smart said. “Do those things lend themselves to each other? They can. They do for us.”
As college football winds down another season, it’s difficult to find a matchup that would better represent the current state of the sport. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
A look at Georgia, TCU’s uniforms for national championship game
Scenes around LA in the lead-up to kickoff
Trae Young rooting hard for Georgia
The Atlanta Hawks superstar shouted out the Bulldogs after his game Sunday night.
Listen: College Football Fix previews championship game
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg recap the fantastic semifinal matchups and look ahead to the championship game in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
Catch up on our coverage of Georgia-TCU
- Sonny Dykes has TCU on cusp of college football national title thanks to fearless approach
- Kirby Smart has embraced offense, and Georgia is better off because of it
- Transfer portal creating more level playing field helped TCU reach title game
- 6 keys to victory when Georgia and TCU clash in college football national championship game
- Georgia, TCU an unlikely pair for what should be intriguing College Football Playoff title game
- The eight schools that have repeated as college football national champions
- The 10 best teams that fell just short of repeating as national champions
Watch Georgia’s gameday hype video
Watch TCU’s gameday hype video
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Continue reading Dan Wolken’s column here.
Continue reading this USA TODAY Sports feature on Dykes here.
doesn’t just accept that the game might be a shootout — he practically expects it. And over his seven years as a head coach, the Bulldogs have evolved to the point where they’re built for it.
“It’s important to me that we’re good on defense and we’re explosive on offense,” Smart said. “Do those things lend themselves to each other? They can. They do for us.”
As college football winds down another season, it’s difficult to find a matchup that would better represent the current state of the sport. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
A look at Georgia, TCU’s uniforms for national championship game
Scenes around LA in the lead-up to kickoff
Trae Young rooting hard for Georgia
The Atlanta Hawks superstar shouted out the Bulldogs after his game Sunday night.
Listen: College Football Fix previews championship game
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg recap the fantastic semifinal matchups and look ahead to the championship game in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
Catch up on our coverage of Georgia-TCU
- Sonny Dykes has TCU on cusp of college football national title thanks to fearless approach
- Kirby Smart has embraced offense, and Georgia is better off because of it
- Transfer portal creating more level playing field helped TCU reach title game
- 6 keys to victory when Georgia and TCU clash in college football national championship game
- Georgia, TCU an unlikely pair for what should be intriguing College Football Playoff title game
- The eight schools that have repeated as college football national champions
- The 10 best teams that fell just short of repeating as national champions
Watch Georgia’s gameday hype video
Watch TCU’s gameday hype video
Read Paul Myerberg’s keys to the game here.
Continue reading Dan Wolken’s column here.
Continue reading this USA TODAY Sports feature on Dykes here.
doesn’t just accept that the game might be a shootout — he practically expects it. And over his seven years as a head coach, the Bulldogs have evolved to the point where they’re built for it.
“It’s important to me that we’re good on defense and we’re explosive on offense,” Smart said. “Do those things lend themselves to each other? They can. They do for us.”
As college football winds down another season, it’s difficult to find a matchup that would better represent the current state of the sport. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
A look at Georgia, TCU’s uniforms for national championship game
Scenes around LA in the lead-up to kickoff
Trae Young rooting hard for Georgia
The Atlanta Hawks superstar shouted out the Bulldogs after his game Sunday night.
Listen: College Football Fix previews championship game
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg recap the fantastic semifinal matchups and look ahead to the championship game in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
Catch up on our coverage of Georgia-TCU
- Sonny Dykes has TCU on cusp of college football national title thanks to fearless approach
- Kirby Smart has embraced offense, and Georgia is better off because of it
- Transfer portal creating more level playing field helped TCU reach title game
- 6 keys to victory when Georgia and TCU clash in college football national championship game
- Georgia, TCU an unlikely pair for what should be intriguing College Football Playoff title game
- The eight schools that have repeated as college football national champions
- The 10 best teams that fell just short of repeating as national champions
Watch Georgia’s gameday hype video
Watch TCU’s gameday hype video
Continue reading this USA TODAY Sports feature on Dykes here.
doesn’t just accept that the game might be a shootout — he practically expects it. And over his seven years as a head coach, the Bulldogs have evolved to the point where they’re built for it.
“It’s important to me that we’re good on defense and we’re explosive on offense,” Smart said. “Do those things lend themselves to each other? They can. They do for us.”
As college football winds down another season, it’s difficult to find a matchup that would better represent the current state of the sport. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
A look at Georgia, TCU’s uniforms for national championship game
Scenes around LA in the lead-up to kickoff
Trae Young rooting hard for Georgia
The Atlanta Hawks superstar shouted out the Bulldogs after his game Sunday night.
Listen: College Football Fix previews championship game
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg recap the fantastic semifinal matchups and look ahead to the championship game in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
Catch up on our coverage of Georgia-TCU
- Sonny Dykes has TCU on cusp of college football national title thanks to fearless approach
- Kirby Smart has embraced offense, and Georgia is better off because of it
- Transfer portal creating more level playing field helped TCU reach title game
- 6 keys to victory when Georgia and TCU clash in college football national championship game
- Georgia, TCU an unlikely pair for what should be intriguing College Football Playoff title game
- The eight schools that have repeated as college football national champions
- The 10 best teams that fell just short of repeating as national champions
Watch Georgia’s gameday hype video
Watch TCU’s gameday hype video
“It’s important to me that we’re good on defense and we’re explosive on offense,” Smart said. “Do those things lend themselves to each other? They can. They do for us.”
As college football winds down another season, it’s difficult to find a matchup that would better represent the current state of the sport. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY
A look at Georgia, TCU’s uniforms for national championship game
Scenes around LA in the lead-up to kickoff
Trae Young rooting hard for Georgia
The Atlanta Hawks superstar shouted out the Bulldogs after his game Sunday night.
Listen: College Football Fix previews championship game
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg recap the fantastic semifinal matchups and look ahead to the championship game in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
Catch up on our coverage of Georgia-TCU
- Sonny Dykes has TCU on cusp of college football national title thanks to fearless approach
- Kirby Smart has embraced offense, and Georgia is better off because of it
- Transfer portal creating more level playing field helped TCU reach title game
- 6 keys to victory when Georgia and TCU clash in college football national championship game
- Georgia, TCU an unlikely pair for what should be intriguing College Football Playoff title game
- The eight schools that have repeated as college football national champions
- The 10 best teams that fell just short of repeating as national champions