INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Monday night's CFP title game includes a few important firsts when the Dawgs and Frogs meet.
Georgia has the chance to win back-to-back championships for the first time in program history, TCU is making its first title appearance in the modern era, and the Dawgs head into the big game as the first team to be this heavily favored in the national championship game.
The Dawgs opened as heavy 13.5 point favorites against the Horned Frogs after their Peach Bowl semifinal win over Ohio State. As of now, the line has moved down a point to 12.5, according to VegasInsider.
This means that betting experts have Georgia winning by at least that many points (you can round to 13 for the half-point margin). Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have tracked the odds of each national championship dating back to 1999, when the national championship game was created with the BCS era.
Here is a list of the favorites in each national championship game and how many points they were favored by at game time:
- 2022: Georgia (2.5 point favorites)
- 2021: Alabama (8.5 point favorites)
- 2020: LSU (4.5 point favorites)
- 2019: Alabama (6 point favorites)
- 2018: Alabama (3.5 point favorites)
- 2017: Alabama (6.5 point favorites)
- 2016: Alabama (6 point favorites)
- 2015: Oregon (5.5 point favorites)
- 2014: Florida State (10 point favorites)
- 2013: Alabama (9.5 point favorites)
- 2012: LSU (2.5 point favorites)
- 2011: Auburn (1 point favorites)
- 2010: Alabama (4 point favorites)
- 2009: Florida (5.5 point favorites)
- 2008: LSU (3.5 point favorites)
- 2007: Ohio State (7 point favorites)
- 2006: USC (7 point favorites)
- 2005: USC (1 point favorite)
- 2004: Oklahoma (6 point favorites)
- 2003: Miami (12 point favorites)
- 2002: Miami (8.5 point favorites)
- 2001: Florida State (11 point favorites)
- 2000: Florida State (6 point favorites)
- 1999: Florida State (5.5 point favorites)
This means that Georgia's current 12.5 point edge would narrowly edge out the 2003 Miami team, who actually ended up getting upset by Ohio State in 2OT by a final of 31-24.
Throughout that time period, 10 teams that were underdogs going into the championship game pulled off the upset and won -- or better stated, 43% of underdogs have won the championship game since the BCS era established the game. It is now known as, of course, the College Football Playoff.
Now, that line can change before game time -- potentially closing the current wide gap that TCU faces on sportsbooks and therefore not making the Dawgs the biggest favorites ever. But, with it just being a day away, only time will tell.