The College Football Playoff is back. Today (Dec. 31), four teams will begin their battle for a national championship. Ohio State, TCU, Michigan and Georgia are the four best teams in the country, but only one will hold up the championship trophy next week. Here’s a look at how fans can watch the two seminal games — the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl.
Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan (4 p.m. ET on ESPN and Watch ESPN). TCU was not considered a favorite to win the national championship before the season began. In fact, the Horned Frogs weren’t ranked in the top 25 after finishing the 2021 season with a 5-7 record. A big reason for their success this year is quarterback Max Duggan who finished the season with 3,321 passing yards and 30 touchdowns along with 619 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
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Michigan won the Big Ten Championship for the second straight year and is just one of two teams that finished the regular season undefeated. There is a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but running back Blake Corum stood out in a big way, finishing the season with 1,494 yards and 18 touchdowns. But he is out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered last month. The Wolverines still have a stout offensive line and a defense that allowed just 13 points per game.
Peach Bowl: Ohio State vs. Georgia (8 p.m. ET on ESPN and Watch ESPN). Ohio State lost to Michigan in its final game of the year, but with that being its only loss of the season, the team was able to get that final spot in the playoff after USC lost in the Pac-12 Championship game. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was a Heisman finalist this year after throwing for 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Georgia is the defending national champions and hasn’t lost a game since last year’s SEC title game against Alabama. The Bulldogs have looked dominant all season long, especially on defense when they rank second in the country in points allowed per contest (12.8). And like Duggan and Stroud, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett is a Heisman finalist after finishing the year with 3,425 yards and 20 touchdowns with 257 rushing yards and seven scores.
