Commentary: Georgia vs. TCU a Hollywood-worthy Duggan vs. Goliath title matchup

This metropolis lives for an irresistible underdog’s story. Depart it to the School Soccer Playoff, of all of the establishment-promoting establishments on this grand land, to supply Hollywood dreamers with a plot line dripping with all the good things.

The Texas Christian College Horned Frogs, reared close to the stockyards of Fort Price and representing 12,000 undergraduate purple-wearing friends, are coming to city in early 2023. They’ll be joined by the Georgia Bulldogs, the defending nationwide champions and a staff everybody’s heard of, establishing the primary Cinderella story in 9 years of the CFP’s four-team bracket format.

Name it Dykes and Duggan vs. Goliath.

Sonny Dykes, as within the Mike Leach disciple who unceremoniously coached California for some time and groomed former Rams quarterback Jared Goff right into a No. 1 draft decide. Dykes quietly moved throughout the Dallas-Fort Price Metroplex from Southern Methodist final December and turned TCU into blue-blood beaters in a single season of masterful work.

Max Duggan? He’s the auburn-haired, Irish-heritage powder keg who started the yr as Dykes’ chosen backup quarterback and completed it as a Heisman Trophy runner-up main his staff to a surprising 51-45 upset of previously unbeaten Michigan in a memorable Fiesta Bowl on Saturday that may torture the Wolverine trustworthy for a few years to come back.

Michigan, with two pick-sixes thrown by quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a fumble giveaway on the TCU one-yard line, handed Dykes and Duggan the stones and stood dumbfounded at point-blank vary for his or her crushing knockout blows, many times.

It’s unlikely Georgia, 14-0, can be as useful to TCU on the evening of Jan. 9 within the CFP championship sport at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, however the Horned Frogs, 13-1, have additionally proved they don’t essentially want any charity to compete with the highest applications within the sport.

TCU, not Massive 12-to-SEC defectors Texas and Oklahoma, is the primary college from that league to win a playoff sport and advance to the nationwide championship sport.

The Horned Frogs are additionally the primary staff from the football-obsessed state of Texas to make it this far. As of 2011, TCU was a member of the Mountain West Convention, simply making an attempt to play its means into the Energy 5 below program architect Gary Patterson.

The CFP has not been variety to upstarts, which is a giant a part of why the playoff is increasing to 12 groups in 2024. TCU, which went 5-7 final yr and started the season unranked, didn’t want enlargement to achieve entry, although.

Extra energy to the Horned Frogs, then.

One subplot for SoFi’s first school soccer nationwide championship sport that may hook up with no less than one observer regionally? Dykes and Duggan are aided by offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the youthful brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

Garrett Riley could have his arms full with Georgia head coach Kirby Good’s protection, which was taken to the restrict by Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud on Saturday evening in a scintillating 42-41 Bulldogs comeback win in Atlanta’s Peach Bowl.

Stroud and the Buckeyes fought valiantly, taking a 38-24 lead within the fourth quarter, however the actuality is the Massive Ten went 0-2 in two heartbreaking CFP semifinal losses.

Georgia, as a staff stacked with five-star recruits that’s making an attempt to develop into the primary squad since Alabama in 2011-12 to repeat as champion, will arrive in L.A. as a transparent favourite over TCU.

By no means thoughts that the Bulldogs are led by their very own underdog, former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, who engineered the game-winning drive within the remaining minute Saturday so as to add to his already unbelievable legend.

After two CFP semifinals determined by a mixed seven factors, Los Angeles school soccer followers are hopefully in for one thing equally particular in 9 days.