Tale of the Tape: Georgia vs. TCU

In this story:
Georgia and Texas Christian play for the college football national championship Monday. It’s a meeting of two schools and football programs that don’t have much in common, other than excellent teams this season. In the old-school format of a boxing tale of the tape, Sports Illustrated put together a 50-item chart that compares and contrasts the two College Football Playoff finalists.
College Football Playoff Title Preview
| Georgia | TCU | |
|---|---|---|
Record | 14–0 | 13–1 |
Points Per Game | 39.4 | 41.1 |
Points Allowed | 14.8 | 26.4 |
Preseason Ranking | No. 3 | Unranked |
All-Time Record | 867-428-54 | 679-567-57 |
Winning Percentage | .663 | .543 |
Head-to-Head Record | 4–0 | 0–4 |
Claimed National Titles | Three | Two |
Last Title | 2021 | 1938 |
Heisman Trophies | Two (1942, ’82) | One (‘38) |
2022 Heisman Finalist | Stetson Bennett | Max Duggan |
Stadium Capacity | 92,746 | 45,000 |
Conference Affiliation | SEC | Big 12 |
Conferences in Last 30 Years | One | Six* (*Includes reneged commitment to Big East) |
Head Coach | Kirby Smart, son of H.S. coach | Sonny Dykes, son of college coach |
Coach’s Mentor | Nick Saban | Mike Leach |
Coach’s Forte | Defense | Offense |
Historic Nemesis | Alabama | Texas |
League Rival | Auburn | Baylor |
Non-League Rival | Georgia Tech | SMU |
Program Patriarch | Wally Butts | Dutch Meyer |
Best Coach | Vince Dooley | Gary Patterson |
Heyday | Now | 1930s |
Low Ebb | 1950s | Most of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s |
Stadium Namesake | Steadman V. Sanford | Amon G. Carter |
Stadium Nickname | Between The Hedges | Hell’s Half Acre |
Rallying Cry | Hunker down | Fight ‘em until Hell freezes over, then fight ‘em on the ice |
One-Name RB Hero | Herschel | LaDainian |
Famed Player Nicknames | Champ and Boss | Slingin’ Sammy and Red Rifle |
Beloved Short QB | Stetson Bennett | Davey O’Brien |
Don’t Mention | Second-and-26 | 2014 CFP selection committee |
Do Mention | Kelee RIngo pick-six | Tank Carder batted pass |
Favorite Field Goal | Noah Ruggles’ miss | “Bazooka Kick” vs. Baylor |
Weird Fan Cheer | Barking. | Riff, Ram, Bah, Zoo |
Iconic Pants | Silver britches | Gary Patterson hiking up his khakis |
Undergrad Enrollment | 30,166 | 10,523 |
U.S. News National Rank | 49th | 89th |
Mascot | Live bulldog | Human dressed as a horned frog |
Mascot Excretion | Slobbers at the mouth | Shoots blood from the eyes |
Spellbinding Leader | Kirby Smart | Hypnotoad |
Wisecracking Wordsmith | Lewis Grizzard | Dan Jenkins |
Actor | Kim Basinger | Rev. Timothy Lovejoy |
Famous Homeboys | REM | The Fort Worth Five outlaw gang |
News Anchor Alum | Deborah Norville | Bob Schieffer |
Location | Athens | Fort Worth |
Town Built On | Cotton | Cows |
Town Famous for | Live music | Live rodeo |
Town Overshadowed by | Atlanta | Dallas |
Music Venue | 40-Watt Club | Ridgelea Theater |
Campus Landmark | The Arch | Frog Fountain |
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Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.
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