Georgia’s coronation as 2022 FBS national champion is all but assured after the top-ranked Bulldogs raced out to a record 45-7 lead over TCU early in the second half Monday night.
The question, it appears, is no longer whether Georgia will win, but by how much. Indeed, the Bulldogs are on the cusp of history if they continue to score at will.
The Bulldogs have already set two College Football Playoff records: points scored in a half (38) and biggest lead (38). The latter dates to the start of the BCS era in the 1998 season.
Can Georgia’s dominance continue in the second half against the Horned Frogs? Only time will tell, but the Bulldogs are in great position to make a run at history.
MORE: Georgia vs. TCU live score, updates, highlights
The Sporting News looks at the biggest blowouts in college football championship game history.
What is the biggest blowout in college football national championship game history?
The biggest blowout in championship game history remains the 1996 Fiesta Bowl between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Florida. The game was part of the Bowl Alliance, an agreement, in principle, to pit the top two teams in the country against each other.
The Cornhuskers jumped out to a 35-10 halftime lead that ballooned to a 62-24 final score — a 38-point differential. Georgia led TCU by 31 points at halftime of the 2023 College Football Playoff title game. Georgia’s 38 first-half points broke the record set by Alabama in 2020, when the Crimson Tide scored 35 first-half points in an eventual 52-24 victory over No. 3 Ohio State.
Biggest blowouts in college football national championship game history
As of 10:52 mark of the third quarter, Georgia’s beatdown of TCU was tied for largest scoring differential ever. And there’s still most of the second half to go. Again, the mark to beat is from the 1995 Nebraska team
Below is a rundown of the biggest blowouts in championship game history, dating to the outset of the Bowl Coalition in 1992. As of early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had the biggest blowout of the CFP era, beating the 28-point margin set by Clemson in the 2018 season and Alabama in the 2020 season.
| Season | Winning team | Losing team | Score | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | No. 1 Nebraska | No. 2 Florida | 62-24 | 38 |
| 2022* | No. 1 Georgia | No. 3 TCU | 45-7 | 38 |
| 2004 | No. 1 USC | No. 2 Oklahoma | 55-19 | 36 |
| 1996 | No. 3 Florida | No. 1 Florida State | 52-20 | 32 |
| 2018 | No. 2 Clemson | No. 1 Alabama | 44-16 | 28 |
| 2020 | No. 1 Alabama | No. 3 Ohio State | 52-24 | 28 |
| 2012 | No. 2 Alabama | No. 1 Notre Dame | 42-14 | 28 |
| 2006 | No. 1 Florida | No. 2 Florida State | 41-14 | 27 |
* Game is still in progress
