The CFP National Championship Will Crown Either College Football's Greatest Cinderella Story Or Its New Dynasty

You couldn't have two more different programs playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night. Georgia is looking to capture its second straight title and solidify itself as the new premier program in college football while TCU is a win away from completing the greatest Cinderella run in the history of the sport.

TCU has broken every convention of what a College Football Playoff team looks like. Its average recruiting class over the last four years ranks 32nd — every other national title game participant since 2002 has had at least one class ranked 13th or higher. Its win total coming into the season was 6.5. The Horned Frogs are in their first season under Sonny Dykes after going 5-7 in 2021. Just being here is one of the most remarkable achievements in college football history.

And then there's Georgia. The Bulldogs are playing in their third National Championship in the last six years under Kirby Smart and could join Alabama as the only teams to win back-to-back title games this century. If it hasn't already happened, a win on Monday night would undoubtedly pass the torch from the Tide to the Dawgs as college football's top squad. Smart would have one of the best résumés ever after just seven seasons as a head coach — and with seemingly another two decades at the helm in Athens ahead.

It can't be understated what a massive upset it would be if the Frogs were able to pull this off. You have to go back to 2020 to find the last time UGA lost a game to a team that was less talented than it was and even then, that loss came against a really good Florida team that had Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts. While there have been great stories in college football throughout the years, teams without a single top 20 recruiting class don't just come out of nowhere and win a national title.

When tonight's game ends, you'll either have one of the most unlikely champions in sports history or a new generation's dynasty with no end in sight.