The College Football Playoff Starts Today, Here's Everything Fans Need To Know

The College Football Playoff is officially here.

Later this afternoon, the CFP will get underway, and it's the day college football fans have waited for all season long.

Georgia vs. Ohio State and TCU vs. Michigan will consume our day, conversation, thoughts and will dominate coverage in the sports world. Lucky for all of you, we have you all covered here at OutKick.

Let's jump right in.

College Football Playoff Game One: #3 TCU vs. #2 Michigan

The Horned Frogs and Wolverines meet down in Arizona to get the CFP underway this afternoon, and it should be a game for the ages.

On paper, Michigan has just about every advantage imaginable, outside of maybe quarterback. Horned Frogs gunslinger Max Duggan lit it up this season and was a Heisman finalist.

Can TCU upset Michigan? (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

He finished the season with 36 total touchdowns and more than 3,700 yards of total offense for 12-1 TCU. Unfortunately for the Horned Frogs, that's where the good news kind of ends.

Michigan is loaded for bear all over the field, and QB J.J. McCarthy is a great player in his own right. His dual-threat capabilities have opened up Michigan's offense in a way we haven't seen before in a Jim Harbaugh team.

Even if Michigan doesn't have the better QB (it's closer than people probably think), they have every advantage imaginable everywhere else on the field in the College Football Playoff, including coaching.

Official prediction: Michigan rolls 31-21.

GAME TWO: #4 Ohio State vs. #1 Georgia

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event. This is the game everyone is looking forward to. The SEC and Big Ten powers will step on the field to throw haymakers for a spot in the national title game.

As I've previously written, it seems like everyone has already written off Ohio State. People are ready to crown Georgia champions before a single snap of the CFP. That's a foolish thing to do.

Ohio State is loaded with NFL talent. Most notably at QB with C.J. Stroud and WR with Marvin Harrison Jr. hauling in passes.

Can Ohio State beat Georgia? (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

However, the spread is what it is for a reason. Georgia, for the most part, has been dominant all season with a 13-0 record on the way to the College Football Playoff.

Stetson Bennett has the opportunities to win back-to-back titles and cement himself as a college football legend. On paper, Georgia checks all the boxes. They're big, fast, strong, incredibly athletic and the tape shows the plays the team can make. Brock Bowers is also a bonafide stud and the best TE in the country.

Georgia is 13-0. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

However, Georgia has flashed signs of weakness as well. The Bulldogs looked bad against Missouri, let a bad Kent State team move the ball and struggled offensively against a mediocre Kentucky team. Anyone who thinks OSU can't exploit the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff is kidding themselves.

However, it's hard to imagine OSU gets everything to fire correctly. They need to get a lot of things right to advance in the College Football Playoff, and I don't see it happening.

Official prediction: Georgia wins 24-21.

Happy viewing and make sure to keep checking back to OutKick throughout the day.