University of Georgia tight end Brock Bowers against Texas Christian University in the second quarter of the NCAA College Football National Championship in California, on January 9, 2023.
Credit: © Mike Goulding, UPI/Alamy Images

On Monday, January 9th, 2023, the University of Georgia Bulldogs showed up to play against the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Georgia, the number one seed, only allowed the number three seed, TCU, one touchdown during the entire game. Georgia won the NCAA National Championship last year and now holds the title for two years in a row. Georgia not only won with a final score of 65 to 7, but with the 58-point lead, Georgia also secured the largest defeat in a bowl game in the history of college football.

Throughout the game, surrounded by thousands of fans, Georgia overwhelmed TCU. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, nicknamed “the mailman,” made four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns to tie with former Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow’s most touchdowns scored in a game. Bennett became the first player to score at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a national title game in recent history.

The game began with Georgia quickly shutting down TCU’s opening drive and answering with a rushing touchdown by Bennett. Quickly the Bulldogs regained the ball and scored a field goal to raise the score to double digits. Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan marched 75 yards to score TCU’s first and only touchdown of the game. It was still in the first quarter. Georgia secured three more touchdowns, unanswered, before halftime. The teams retreated to their huddles with the scoreboard displaying 38 to 7. Georgia had scored on all six of its possessions in the first half.

Soon after halftime, it became apparent that the Bulldogs had the title in the bag with a 52 to 7 lead. With such a lead, Bennett stepped out of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, allowing backup Branson Robinson to score two touchdowns. The Bulldogs celebrated their monumental win and senior quarterback Bennett as he moves his sights to the NFL draft.

January 15, 2020

On Monday, January 13, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers defeated the Tigers of Clemson University 42-25 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. LSU’s win capped a perfect 15-0 season in which the team led the nation in scoring and total offense. The national title was also the crowning moment of a magical year for senior LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who set a single season record for touchdown passes (60) and earned the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best college football player. It was the first national title for LSU and head coach Ed Orgeron since 2007. For defending champion Clemson, the loss was the team’s first since losing the national championship against Alabama two years ago.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow rushes for a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 13, 2020, in New Orleans. Credit: © Todd Kirkland, Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Clemson kept LSU pinned down with poor field position early in the game and took a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. Clemson’s 10-point advantage—LSU’s largest deficit this season—did not last long, however. LSU’s Burrow came to life, putting up three touchdowns in the space of nine minutes to give LSU a 28-17 halftime lead. Clemson cut the lead to 28-25 with a touchdown in the third quarter, but LSU added two more scores to take firm control and coast to the national title.

Burrow finished the game with 463 yards passing, 5 touchdown passes, and 1 rushing score. His 521 yards of total offense (including 58 yards on the ground) were the most ever recorded by a quarterback in a national championship game. LSU junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 110 yards on just 16 carries. Clemson sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 37 passes for 234 yards and no touchdown passes. Clemson junior running back Travis Etienne, a native of Louisiana, ran for 78 yards in the loss. Etienne’s 4,038 career rushing yards are the most in Clemson history.

The four-team College Football Playoff began with a bang on Dec. 28, 2019, as No. 2 Ohio State University fell to No. 3 seed Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. OSU fans were irate as two controversial officiating calls went against the team in the closely contested game. The first controversial call was made against OSU defensive back Shaun Wade following a hit on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the second quarter. After a review of the tackle, Wade was ejected from the game for targeting the quarterback and lowering his helmet to hit Lawrence. Clemson later scored a touchdown on that offensive drive. In the game’s second half, an OSU defensive back appeared to strip the ball away from a Clemson wide receiver and return the interception for a touchdown, giving OSU a 23-21 lead. However, an official review led the referees to overturn the call, ruling the pass incomplete and negating the score. Clemson went on the win 29-23 and advance to the championship game.

Also on December 28, the No. 1 LSU Tigers had a much easier time in a 63-28 romp over No. 4 seed Oklahoma at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow tied a college bowl game record with seven touchdown passes. Oklahoma has appeared in four of the six College Football Playoffs held since the end of the 2014 season, but has yet to win a game.