Georgia became the first program in more than a decade to repeat as national champions in Los Angeles on Monday, doing so in triumphant fashion over an overmatched TCU team.
The Bulldogs, under seventh-year coach Kirby Smart, pulled off the largest margin of victory in a title game since the Bowl Coalition was created in 1992, shellacking the Horned Frogs, 65-7.
Less than 24 hours after that CFP Finals triumph, oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook have listed the Bulldogs as the favorite to three-peat as champions at +300 odds.
The team’s 2023 futures are slightly rosier than this year’s squad, which was listed at +380 to win it all before the season started.
There is no legal Georgia sports betting, although there is hope for some movement on the issue during the current legislative session.
BetGeorgia.com wanted to contextualize how far the Bulldogs climbed during their latest championship quest, from the doldrums of summer to Monday’s one-sided finale against the Horned Frogs.
2022 Preseason Odds Vs. Final AP Poll
Bulldogs Vanquished Any Doubt in Playoff
Georgia didn’t let the Horned Frogs get any semblance of momentum at SoFi Stadium Monday, finding a way to avoid a repeat of the team’s cardiac comeback against Ohio State in its semifinal victory on New Year’s Eve.
Ten days after rallying to knock off the Buckeyes, 42-41, the Bulldogs left no doubt against TCU, jumping out to an early 17-7 lead, then going for the jugular with a 21-0 run in the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett was sublime for the Bulldogs, completing 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards. He hit three different receivers for his four passing touchdowns. Eight Bulldogs combined to smash-and-dash their way to 254 yards on the ground.
That teamwide demolition allowed the Bulldogs to become the first team since Alabama in 2012 to repeat as national champs. In total, Georgia became the ninth program to win consecutive championships in college football history — joining Nebraska (1994-95), USC (AP champs in 2003, BCS champs in 2004), Oklahoma (1974-75), Texas (1969-70), Notre Dame (1946-47), Army (1944-45) and Minnesota (1940-41).
How Far the Bulldogs Climbed in 2022
The Bulldogs didn’t have a far climb to reach the mountaintop this fall but finished the job with vigor all the same.
Georgia started the season with the third-highest championship odds (behind Alabama and Ohio State), then rattled off 15 straight wins over a who’s who of college football royalty.
The 2022 team managed to rout No. 11 ranked Oregon, 49-3, in its Labor Day opener, before beating the next three opponents (Samford, South Carolina, and Kent State) by double digits.
After surviving a road scare against Missouri in Week 5, the Bulldogs turned on the jets, blowing the doors off SEC foes Auburn, Vanderbilt, Florida, then-No. 1 ranked Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky — each by double digits.
A 37-14 regular season finale victory over in-state rival Georgia Tech put the cherry on top of a historic regular season, while the Bulldogs’ 50-30 demolition of SEC West champion LSU provided the final chapter of a conference run that few will forget.
Georgia wrapped up the season with the sixth-best scoring offense and the second-best scoring defense.
Looking Forward to 2023 in Athens
It doesn’t seem like Georgia is content to rest on its laurels in the new year, with Smart reeling in the second-best recruiting class in the nation (per 247 Sports) and the Bulldogs sitting atop 2024 CFB titles odds boards.
The task for the Bulldogs is to find a way to become the first preseason title favorite since Alabama in 2017 to hoist the CFP hardware at season’s end.
That quest will require Smart to replace Bennett at quarterback and to plug a number of skill positions that will lose talent to the 2023 NFL Draft.
It seems like Smart’s ready for the challenge, telling ESPN’s Holly Rowe in his postgame interview he’s ready to see what the Bulldogs can achieve in the new year.
“When entitlement creeps in your program you’re in trouble. We don’t have any of that here," Smart said. "Our kids don't run from work. As long as you don't have entitlement in your program, you got a shot."
2023 BetMGM Sportsbook Preseason Odds
