By Daniel Tice, Zach Ortwerth, and Ryan Wingo

Core Staff, reporters

Suggested Headline: College Football recruit, commit, and observer give their thoughts on this year's College Football Playoff.

How They Got Here: 

1. Georgia (13-0). For the second straight year, Georgia is able to call themselves SEC champions, and for the second straight year, they end the season ranked number one. They continued the streak of SEC champions making the College Football playoff. They end the season undefeated, dominating all but one SEC team on their schedule: Mizzou. The Mizzou game showed Georgia’s cracks, that they aren’t as formidable as last year. Their biggest win was against No. 1 Tennessee, who came into Athens looking to build off their Alabama win but the Bulldogs stopped them right in their tracks and embarrassed them. Georgia looks to be crowned the National Champion for the second year in a row.

2. Michigan (13-0). Michigan enters the playoff undefeated, coming off a Big 10 championship win against Purdue. However, their biggest game of the season was when Michigan went into Columbus and left with a win over Ohio State for the first time in 22 years. Other than the Buckeyes and the Boilermakers, Michigan went into Kinnick Stadium and beat Iowa. As Harbaugh acknowledged, Kinnick is where top 5 teams go to die and they got through the storm.  The Hawkeye defense ranked among the top of College football but proved to not be enough to stop the Wolverines potent rushing attack. The Wolverines are well-coached and have the talent to go all the way and win the school’s first National Championship game.

3. TCU (12-1). The Horned Frogs are entering the playoff with the lowest odds to win according to Vegas. Despite losing the Big 12 Championship to Kansas State, the committee decided they deserve to be playing for a chance at the National Championship because that was their only loss on the season. The conference championship actually proved to be pointless for TCU as, even though they lost, they didn’t drop a spot in the rankings. TCU has played more top 20 teams than the rest of the CFP teams. The most vital win of the year was coming out victorious against No. 8 Oklahoma State in double overtime. The underdog Froggies will come in with a chip on their shoulder and look to upset a red-hot Michigan squad.

4. Ohio State (11-1). For the first time in the college football playoff era, two teams from the Big 10 will be playing for the title. The Buckeyes are coming off a tough loss to Michigan, and unlike the other three teams in the playoffs, the regular season for the Buckeyes was one week shorter as they did not make the Big 10 Championship. Going into conference championship week, they were on the outside looking in, needing one of the top four teams to lose. They got their wish when Utah upset USC in the Pac-12 championship, leaving an open spot. Ohio State has a storied history and are coming into the playoffs fired up from the Michigan game and have the potential to win their first national title since St. Louis’s own Ezekiel Elliot led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2015. 

1. Georgia vs. 4. Ohio State: 

If I told you before the season that there would be a playoff matchup between two historic programs with dedicated fan bases and the color red, you would have to assume Alabama would be playing. Yet, here we are. Georgia is coming into this game winning 31 of their last 32 games, pure dominance. That is a product of their defense where they have given up less than 300 yards per game. They are led by head coach Kirby Smart and QB Stetson Bennett, who at the age of 25 is older than 11 current starting NFL quarterbacks. They have been able to score at will against most opponents, but the Bulldogs shine more on the defensive end.

Georgia will face one of the best aerial attacks in college football in Ohio State. The consensus future number one pick, CJ Stroud,will lead a Buckeyes offense into battle. They will be without star receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba, so Marvin Harrison Jr. will be commanding most of the target share. 

This game will come down to if Georgia can match the offensive firepower of the Buckeyes. If Georgia can score more than 28, they will be in a good position to advance. If not, be on the lookout for one of the biggest upsets in College Football Playoff History. 

Predictions

Ryan Wingo: 42-28 Georgia over OSU  

Zach Ortwerth: 27-21 OSU over Georgia

Daniel Tice: 38-27 Georgia over OSU

2. Michigan vs. 3. TCU:

Michigan has not skipped a beat this year. However, the Wolverines’ offensive game plan has had to shift with the loss of Blake Corum, who was in the midst of the Heisman race when he fell victim to injury. Michigan will look to take advantage of J.J. McCarthy's elite play-action ability when they are not pounding the rock down TCU’s throat. On the defensive end, they have one job: stop Max Duggan. 

The way the Horned Frogs win is if they do not fall behind. While they have made it their brand to fall behind and come back to win, that will not fly against Michigan. TCU will need to go shot for shot, blow for blow to upset the undefeated Wolverines. 

Predictions 

Ryan Wingo: 49-17 Michigan over TCU 

Zach Ortwerth:  35-14 Michigan over TCU

Daniel Tice: 28-27 TCU over Michigan 

National Championship Prediction 

Ryan Wingo: 21-10 Michigan over Georgia

Zach Ortwerth: 45-35 Michigan over OSU

Daniel Tice: 31-7 Georgia over TCU