By: William Smythe

Since the inception of the College Football Playoff, we have often found ourselves entangled in a web of disappointment. In short, the poor three and four seeds which have “limped” into the playoff after dominant seasons outside of the SECs and Big Tens of the world have made things predictable and boring, if anything. 

Including this current season, 13 teams have made the coveted playoff in its nine-year history – Alabama (7x), Clemson (6), Ohio State (5), Oklahoma (4), Georgia (3), Notre Dame (2), Michigan (2), LSU, Michigan State, TCU, Oregon, Washington and Cincinnati.

Alabama and Clemson’s dominance over the latter half of the 2010s staved off any Cinderella stories, while the four seeds (outside of ‘Bama or Ohio State slipping into that four spot) fared poorly against the juggernauts. Three seeds, however, currently carry a 5-4 record against the CFP’s no. 2 ranked teams after TCU’s win – but this isn’t your ordinary squad.

Many believed that TCU would fall into the trap that has befallen so many of the “fluke year” three and four seeds – Michigan State, Washington, Notre Dame and Cincinnati all included. I’ll admit, I wrote off this scenario completely even as TCU started to emerge earlier this season.

Moreover, it would be safe to say that a conference championship loss to Kansas State didn’t exactly convince America that the ‘Frogs could hang with the big boys, on the biggest of stages. 

Lo and behold, first-year coach Sonny Dykes proved me and the rest of America wrong – again. Is he orchestrating the best first-year coaching job in the history of college football? Yes! Did he just come from SMU, where his best season came in the form of a 10-3 record – in the American Athletic Conference? Yes!

You don’t need to look far and wide for your Coach of the Year. His hypno-frogs have done the near-impossible against Big 12 and CFP competition after suffering through recent mediocrity. This type of success seldom occurs when it comes to college football; as much as we love Cinderellas, they only come into play for March Madness, right?

What can we extract from the best day of college football….ever?

Michigan mistakes, Max Duggan power TCU to a wild, action-packed victory

If you’re a Wolverine fan, there’s plenty of moments here to keep you up at night. A boldly and poorly-used Philly Special at the five-yard line cost Michigan a chance to take an early touchdown lead, while quarterback JJ McCarthy couldn’t have telegraphed a short pass any more en route to a Horned Frog pick-six. You want more?

Another McCarthy pick-six in the third quarter, a fumble on the one-yard line after a controversial call, and an uncharacteristically bad snap from center Olusegun Oluwatimi (a UVA product, I must add) proved to nip the Wolverines in the bud. Oh, and they certainly didn’t expect TCU to come out with a little bit of extra motivation – maybe the Big 12 does play physical ball after all?

What defied the logic of this Fiesta Bowl semifinal was TCU’s success moving the ball against the nation’s seventh-ranked scoring defense (16.07 ppg allowed coming into the CFP). I guess when you pit the nation’s fifth-ranked offense against a powerful defense, something’s gotta give. 

Heisman finalist and Davey O’Brien winner Max Duggan proved his (Ft.) Worth after posting four total touchdowns and nearly 300 yards – relying once again on star wide receiver Quentin Johnston (6 rec, 163 yds, 2 TDs) against a strong Michigan secondary. Even more impressive is the ground-and-pound strategy the ‘Frogs used in preservation of their lead, with backup tailback Emari Demercado running wild en route to a 150-yard performance. 

The matchup – daunting on paper – played no part in controlling TCU’s approach. Dykes’ squad managed to beef up their advantage enough so as to protect against the pesky Wolverine comeback – with the 51 points their fourth-highest total of the season. If you bet the over for either team – or the other semifinal – congrats. Life’s too short to bet the under.

The Horned Frogs understood the assignment at hand and thrived under the conditions presented. They did not fold when it seemed the Wolverines had completely swung the momentum, nor did Max Duggan show any signs of his old, pre-2022 self in the Fiesta Bowl. Michigan was simply outplayed, outmuscled and outsmarted by a first-year coach and his crew. 

While the Georgia game will undoubtedly challenge the ‘Frogs unlike ever before, this win has cemented their legacy for years to come. 

Stroud’s masterclass can’t make up for Bowers’ first-down and Smart’s timeout

We were a field-goal away from an Ohio State-TCU matchup. Following the ‘Frogs’ upset of Michigan in the first semifinal, the attention shifted to the blockbuster matchup between the Buckeyes and ‘Dawgs in the Peach Bowl – a game featuring a no. 4 seed reminiscent of the 2015 team which held the same spot (and won a national championship). 

Ohio State entered Saturday’s contest with the bitter taste of a Michigan loss fresh in their mouths, while the ‘Dawgs rolled over LSU in the SEC Championship and hadn’t really struggled in a game since Missouri.

Enter two-time Heisman finalist, C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes’ heart and soul put together a near-flawless performance against the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring defense – but, was 348 yards and four touchdowns enough? We all thought so.

Either Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. or Georgia’s Kelee Ringo was going to win their matchup in a big way, with the former catching two touchdown balls in the first half. The Buckeyes’ offense had cashed in on its first three drives, capturing a 21-7 lead and breaking through the seemingly impenetrable fortress that is the Georgia defense. Stroud just couldn’t have made it look easier. 

The ‘Dawgs would eventually even the score at 21, yet the Buckeyes would make things increasingly challenging. Not even a Kirby Smart half-time adjustment special could account for Stroud’s masterclass. Who would the responsibility fall upon to bring Georgia back from the brink of defeat? None other than the 26-year old Stetson Bennett.

The ‘Dawgs stayed alive following a crucial first down on 4th and 6 from tight end Brock Bowers – a gutsy call and a controversial play, as Bowers nearly crossed the yardstick while falling out of bounds. A field goal saved what could have been a massive swing for the Buckeyes. 

Bennett – with his team in a 38-24 hole in the third quarter – orchestrated a comeback following one of the greatest timeouts in college football history; a fake punt had given the Buckeyes a massive first down, yet the Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart managed to call a timeout right before the snap.

The next play for Georgia would be a 76-yard bomb for a touchdown, pushing the Ohio State lead back to three and upping the stakes even further. 

Following a touchdown from Adonai Mitchell and a missed field goal from Ohio State at the buzzer – exactly when the NYE ball dropped – the ‘Dawgs escaped what seemed to be an inevitable defeat.

Defensive prowess be damned, Smart and company looked shoddy against Stroud and a wide receiving corps who could feasibly star in the NFL right now. The Buckeyes should have won this game, but we’re talking about Georgia here.

The defending national champs showed a sort of resolve that they haven’t often showcased in blowout wins and undefeated regular seasons. To overcome a two-touchdown deficit and win in the most dramatic fashion? What a way to follow up – and overshadow – the Fiesta Bowl. 

Don’t mistake Georgia’s struggles for a serious personnel problem; they’ll make their adjustments and get the defense prepared for a more run-heavy quarterback. Max Duggan is not C.J. Stroud, TCU’s wide receivers aren’t as deep, yet the task at hand should be just as difficult. 

Georgia-TCU will witness physicality on a scale unmatched this season, with both teams eyeing historic victories – for Georgia, their second consecutive national championship, and for TCU, their first in school history. America should be incredibly pleased with the outcome of these semifinal games and should look to another classic come Monday Night.

Frogs versus ‘Dawgs. Sharpie.