The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes to advance to the College Football Playoff Championship

CNN
–

The Georgia Bulldogs advanced to the College Football Playoff tournament after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 42-41 in the second semifinal game of Saturday’s College Football Playoff.

Trailing by six points late in the fourth quarter, defending national champion Georgia mounted a 72-yard drive that was capped by quarterback Stetson Bennett for the third time to take the lead with 54 seconds remaining.

Ohio State took advantage of that time to push the ball into field goal range, setting up kicker Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard attempt. But Ruggles hit the kick left, and the Bulldogs escaped with a one-point victory.

Georgia is the first team to come back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit in college football history, according to the NCAA.

Earlier Saturday, the Horned Frogs of third seed Texas Christian University entered their first semifinal game as underdogs and pulled off a huge upset, pulling off a thrilling 51-45 win against second seed Michigan Wolverines.

The Horned Frogs, who started the season outside the Top 25, defeated the previously undefeated Michigan Wolverines 51-45 in the highest-scoring Fiesta Bowl ever. The Big Ten champions entered the game favoring more than a touchdown, but TCU never fell behind in a game en route to the national championship.

Heisman runner-up Max Duggan threw for 225 yards and four total touchdowns, while Emari Demarcado added 150 yards on the ground in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

The Bulldogs will take on the Horned Frogs on Monday, January 9, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in the championship game.

TCU will seek its first national championship since 1938 and the first for a Big 12 team since 2005, while Georgia aims to be the first back-to-back national champion since Alabama in 2011 and 2012 and the first repeat champion in the college football playoff era.