2022 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8th College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | January 10, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Season | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Lucas Oil Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Offense: #13 QB Stetson Bennett, Sr. Georgia Defense: #16 S Lewis Cine, Sr. Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Georgia by 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Natalie Grant[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Duane Heydt (ACC)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Halftime show | see Broadcasting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 68,311 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | ESPN: Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath (sidelines) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 12.1 (22.6 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network | ESPN Deportes ESPN Brasil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Pablo Viruega (analyst) and Rebeca Landa (sidelines) ESPN Brasil: Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play), Antony Curti (analyst) and Weinny Eirado (analyst)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eighth College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2021 season. It was the final game of the 2021–22 College Football Playoff (CFP) and, aside from the all star games following after, was the cumulating game of the 2021–22 bowl season. The game featured the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (defending national champions and winners of the Cotton Bowl) and the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (winners of the Orange Bowl), both of whom represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game began at 8:16 p.m. EST and was broadcast by ESPN. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T. Georgia entered the game seeking its third national championship, while Alabama entered seeking its 19th.
The game started slow offensively, as a field goal on Alabama's opening drive proved to be the only points of the first quarter. After Georgia scored a field goal of their own to tie the game early in the second quarter, the Crimson Tide kicked two more field goals to extend their lead to six points. A Georgia field goal with just over three minutes in the first half narrowed the deficit to three points, and the game went to halftime with Alabama leading 9–6. Looking to reinstate their six-point lead early in the third, Alabama's 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked and Georgia drove down the field to take their first lead by scoring the game's first touchdown. Alabama responded with two drives (one on a recovered fumble) that saw them score a field goal and touchdown to take back the lead. Bennett would throw touchdown passes to Adonai Mitchell and Brock Bowers to give Georgia the lead. Trying to hold on to an eight point lead with Alabama driving with less than a minute to go, Kelee Ringo intercepted a pass and ran it 79 yards to seal the game for Georgia with a touchdown. The game ended with Georgia defeating Alabama by a score of 33–18 and winning their third national championship in school history, the first since 1980.