This year's College Football Playoff is evidently brought to you by the number two.
Georgia is attempting to win title No. 2 under boss Kirby Smart a year after ending a four-decade title drought. Michigan is in its second straight CFP after winning Big Ten title No. 2 under Jim Harbaugh (and with a second starting quarterback). Ryan Day and Ohio State are attempting to take advantage of a second chance after thinking they had lost their playoff opportunity thanks to what is now a two-game losing streak to Michigan. TCU is finally in the playoff, having come so close in 2014 and waiting eight long years for a second chance. It has gotten to the promised land under Sonny Dykes, who had to wait six years for a second power conference gig.
All of this in the year 2022, no less!
The storylines are legion and the matchups are weird and interesting. Here's everything you need to know about college football's two biggest games of the season.
Jump to: Georgia-Ohio State preview
coverage:
Playoff confidential: Keys to Georgia-Ohio State
Playoff confidential: Keys to Michigan-TCU
Ranking the CFP's 25 most important players
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU
CFP semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App
How they got here
Michigan: Michigan indeed rolled to its second straight conference title, escaping close calls against Maryland and Illinois but walloping Ohio State and Penn State by a combined 86-40. Over the past 19 games, the Wolverines are 18-1 with a loss only to Georgia in last season's CFP.
TCU: Dykes' first Horned Frogs team was the master of the close game. In a deep Big 12, TCU went 12-1, winning five one-score games with timely offensive flurries and excellent pass defense. The Frogs tripped up against Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game, but their playoff résumé was already set.