The finale of the 2022 college football season is approaching as the National Championship features a TCU vs. Georgia matchup.
A few plays here and there and we could have had the chance at one of the most historic college football games in history – a National Championship matchup between Ohio State and Michigan – but this isn't a bad alternative.
The Horned Frogs are one of the biggest Cinderella stories to come out of a sport that has lost a significant amount of its parity over the years. Coming into the season, TCU was listed around 200-1 at most books to win the title.
As the reigning champions, Georgia understandably entered the season as one of the betting favorites, alongside Alabama and Ohio State.
While lines vary across major sportsbooks, most opened this game at 13.5 or 14, but you are hard-pressed to find that number at this point. BetMGM is the lone book holding 13.5 at the moment, while nearly everyone else is between 12 and 13. BetRivers has Georgia as a 12-point favorite, for example.
In terms of the moneyline, Georgia opened as short as -630 while TCU opened as long as +445. Now, the shortest Georgia ML price is -500 (BetMGM) while the +375 number on TCU is also the longest price you'll get on the Horned Frogs.
A large part of that is due to the influx of action that has come in on TCU. A majority of the betting tickets are on the Horned Frogs after they secured an upset over Michigan and Georgia narrowly escaped the Buckeyes.
You can expect that to even out more as we near kickoff, but for now TCU is the popular play.
In terms of the total, the number opened widely at 61.5 and now sits at a market consensus of 62.5. BetRivers is the lone outlier with their total sitting at 62.
The over is understandably a popular play here as well, after the two semifinal matchups each eclipsed 80 points.
Five of the past six bowl games have gone over the total, with Mississippi State vs. Illinois being the lone under.
TCU and Georgia will clash at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, January 9.
