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TCU Reaches First Ever CFP National Championship Appearance, While Ole Miss Falls to Texas Tech
By Andy Baeuerle
Looking toward their third consecutive bowl game appearance under Coach Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss Rebels have had a tumultuous season, with impressive wins over Troy, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt but also devastating losses to LSU and Arkansas. Going to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, Ole Miss was looking to win a second bowl game under Coach Kiffin after last year’s upset to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Before Wednesday’s matchup, Ole Miss led the series against the Red Raiders 4-2. While Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart led the game in the air with 362 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, TT runningback Tyler Shough dominated on the ground with 25 rushes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the air game was not enough for the Rebels, as they fell 42-25 to Texas Tech. In memory of the late Mike Leach ,who coached at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009, the Red Raiders lined up in Leach’s iconic “Air Raid” formation on their first offensive drive of the game. Not snapping the ball, Texas Tech took an unpunished delay of game penalty.
Since the College Football Playoff was established in 2014, many of the same teams have made multiple dominating appearances in the playoffs and national championships. Power 5^ teams such as Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Georgia have made their names known in the playoffs. In 2021, Cinncinati made its name known as the first Group of 5^^ team to make the CFP. Texas Christian (TCU) made their first appearance in the playoffs this year. Despite losing the Big 12 Championship, TCU still entered as the #3 team in the nation, facing the undefeated Michigan Wolverines in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. The Horned Frogs came in as the underdogs, with ESPN experts giving the Wolverines a 68.1% chance of winning. In the first half, however, TCU showed they are not to be played with, leading the Big 10 Champion Michigan 21-6 at halftime. The TCU defense kept Michigan from scoring a touchdown until late in the third quarter. After going back and forth throughout the second half, TCU emerged with a 51-45 victory over Michigan. TCU will head to their first ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
As the previous paragraph states, Ohio State and Georgia are two teams who frequently make the playoffs. Georgia has played in 2017, 2021, and 2022 while Ohio State has played in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2022. An interesting matchup between these two teams, Ohio State outplayed undefeated Georgia, leading the Bulldogs 28-24 at halftime. The Buckeyes held Georgia from scoring in the third quarter, while OSU led 38-24 going to quarter four. The Bulldogs roared back in the fourth, scoring 18, while holding the Buckeyes to only 3 points. At the stroke of midnight, with 3 seconds left, Georgia blocked a 50-yard Ohio State field goal to win the game 42-41 in the first minute of 2023. Georgia will go to their second CFP National Championship to face the TCU Horned Frogs.
Let’s check out other scores from Bowl Week 3:
- Quick Lane Bowl: New Mexico St 24, Bowling Green 19
- Camellia Bowl: Buffalo 23, Georgia Southern 21
- SERVPRO First Responders Bowl: Memphis 38, Utah State 10
- TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl: East Carolina 53, Coastal Carolina 29
- Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Wisconsin 24, Oklahoma St 17
- Peraton Military Bowl: Duke 30, UCF 13
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl (3 Overtimes): Arkansas 55, Kansas 53
- San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: #15 Oregon 28, North Carolina 27
- Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Minnesota 28, Syracuse 20
- Cheez-It Bowl: #13 Florida State 35, Oklahoma 32
- Valero Alamo Bowl: #12 Washington 27, #20 Texas 20
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: #21 Notre Dame 45, #19 South Carolina 38
- Capitol One Orange Bowl: #6 Tennessee 31, #7 Clemson 14
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Maryland 16, #23 NC State 12
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh 37, #18 UCLA 35
- Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl (Overtime): Ohio 30, Wyoming 27
- Allstate Sugar Bowl: #5 Alabama 45, #9 Kansas State 20
- TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa 21, Kentucky 0
Bowl Week 4 Schedule (*denotes game will be written about):
- ReliaQuest Bowl*: #22 Mississippi State vs. Illinois
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: #16 Tulane vs. #10 USC
- Cheez-It Citrus Bowl*: #17 LSU vs. Purdue
- Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential: #8 Utah vs. #11 Penn State
- CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T*: #1 Georgia vs. #3 TCU
^: Power 5 Conferences: Southeastern Conference, PAC 12, BIG 10, BIG 12, Atlantic Coast Conference
^^: Group of 5 Conferences: Conference-USA, Mountain West Conference, Mid-America Conference, Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference
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