Ranking every possible 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game matchup

College Football Playoff National Championship Game Matchup No. 2: Michigan vs Georgia

I’m guessing you thought this was going to be No. 1, right? Well, it would probably be best to consider this 1B rather than No. 2 because the latter and where it actually places on these rankings does feel a bit disrespectful. After all, these are the only two teams that emerged out of the regular season and conference championship games with an undefeated record.

So why wouldn’t we want to see them play for the natty?

The fact is, we should. One of the narratives coming into Georgia vs Michigan last season in the College Football Playoff semifinals was that the Bulldogs were simply running a better version of what Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines do. And that bore out on the field. The Dawgs dominated physically and in every facet.

This year, I’m not so sure that would be the case. Yes, the styles are similar but the Georgia defense — though still phenomenal — is lesser than it was in 2021 while Michigan has seemingly upgraded the offense, particularly on the line, and still has a great defense in its own right. This would be a true bully-ball clash that would be highly entertaining waiting on the one big play to break the game open.

In reality, there are only two reasons this matchup is the one I’m considering second best. First, we did see Georgia beat the brakes off Michigan last year, which does take some shine off it. But second, it’s exceptionally rare to have the opportunity for something like our No. 1 ranked matchup.