Texas Christian University held on to the team’s unbeaten record last Saturday with a last-second field goal over Baylor, but the victory was not enough to budge the Horned Frogs from the No.4 ranking in the latest College Football Playoffs (CFP) rankings. TCU has held the No.4 spot for several weeks behind other undefeated teams playing in more competitive divisions.
Not since 2010 have TCU fans seen this level of production from a Frogs team. With a new head coach in Sonny Dykes, early expectations were understandably low. Despite preseason predictions that TCU would finish seventh in the Big 12, the Frogs will finish the season as the top team in the division regardless of the outcome of the final match that pits the Frogs against visiting Iowa State.
TCU needed late-game heroics to get past Baylor in the team’s final road game. The Frogs have found numerous ways to pull out wins and protect their undefeated record. It is the best record that TCU has posted since 2010. That season, the Frogs won the National Championship — a dream for young players that may be just a few games from reality once again. First, TCU will need to get through their final home match, then the Big 12 Championship, before having an opportunity at the National Championship again.
The competition reaching for that lofty spot is just as determined and arguably has posted better numbers in better divisions, but the 2022 Horned Frogs have shown a knack for winning big games.
Georgia remains on top of the AP Poll with an undefeated 11-0 season and a final game against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Last week, Georgia scraped out a narrow 16-6 victory over Kentucky. The win was the second-smallest margin of victory and the lowest points scored by the Bulldogs this season.
The outcome of the Georgia game matters little in the grand scope of things. Georgia already knows they will face No.5 LSU in the SEC Championship after both clubs secured victories in mid-November to lock up their respective divisions. The winner of the SEC Championship game will advance to the National Championship.
Ohio State remains at No.2. The Buckeyes are coming off a 43-30 victory over Maryland. As crazy as it may seem, the 43 points scored is the third-lowest total of the season for Ohio. The Buckeyes scored just 21 points in their season opener against Notre Dame and again in a win over Northwestern. The 30 points surrendered is also the second-most of the season after Ohio State spotted No.13 Penn State 31 points just four weeks ago.
In third place in the CFP Rankings is Michigan. Like TCU, Michigan pulled off a narrow last-minute victory with a field goal as time ran out on the clock against Illinois. The 19-17 win was by far the closest win of the season for the Wolverines, whose previous low score was a 27-14 win over Iowa.
Saturday will bring the No.2 Buckeyes and the No.3 Wolverines together for a gauntlet that many college football fans circled on their calendars back when the schedule was released for 2022. This game seems almost like a bonus playoff game, as the winner is virtually assured of the No.2 spot and a Bowl game invite.
On Saturday, the top four teams will each play their final game of the 2022 season, and three teams will learn who they will face in the Division Championship Games the following week.
