UGH.

For a program that hadn't made it out of its division much less to its conference championship game, the Michigan Wolverines seemingly held as likely a chance to land a Super Bowl invite than a berth in the College Football Playoff.

The CFP was a playground for the Alabamas and Clemsons and Ohio States and Oklahomas of the world. The four schools had occupied 20 of the 28 available spots since the four-team playoff began in 2014. Even perennial nemesis Ohio State had made four appearances, winning it all in the first-ever CFP. Coach Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines hadn't even made it to Indianapolis to play for the Big Ten title, for to do so meant beating the Buckeyes, an event that had occurred only twice this millenium. Not. Bloody. Likely.

Then came 2021.

Then came a group of kids who didn't know they weren't supposed to end up as one of the nation's very best teams. A group of kids that started the season unknown and unranked, then proceeded to exceed everyone's expectations on the way to a 12-1 record, ending the season by steamrolling Ohio State and blowing the doors off of B1G West champion Iowa at Lucas Oil Stadium for the conference crown. The school's first national football semifinal berth was theirs.

So while the ease of Georgia's 34-11 smacking of Michigan in the CFP Orange Bowl may have stunned most college football fans, the certainty of the Bulldogs' victory shouldn't have surprised anyone. They were far and away by just about every expert's opinion the best team in the nation all season long. Right up to a humbling defeat by their nemesis Alabama in the SEC championship game. A defeat they had a chance to atone for in the national final should they make it past the upstart Wolverines.

The semifinal was billed as a battle of strength on strength, two relentless defenses and massive offensive lines going at it. Yet it quickly became apparent that while the two teams may have been in the same stadium, they weren't in the same ball park. The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and cut through the Wolverine defense impressively, moving 80 yards in seven snaps over four minutes. A drive so effortless, it was hard to believe Michigan's defense had not surrendered a touchdown in the first quarter much less an opening drive since the opening game of the season. In fact, the Wolverines hadn't trailed by seven points all year.

Michigan appeared on the verge of responding as Cade McNamera drove the offense past midfield. Facing fourth down and four a the Bulldog 41, Harbaugh—who hadn't fully understood the mismatch he was entering—decided to go for it. McNamera's pass to tight end Eric All fell incomplete, leaving UGA a scant 59 yards from another touchdown. Six plays later, tailback Kenny McIntosh took a handoff at the Michigan 18, ran toward the line of scrimmage and stood up to lob a pass to wide-open wideout Adonai Mitchell in the end zone. 14-0, Ugh. Before the first quarter was over, the game already was.

Executing an offensive strategy of simply running plays to the opposite side of the field as Wolverine all-everything defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett operated with surprising precision in both drives. Surprising in that the situation with the Bulldogs' signal callers had similarities to Michigan's. As many felt the Wolverines needed McNamera and freshman phenom JJ McCarthy if they hoped to advance in the CFP, many also felt UGA needed Bennett and JT Daniels (in whole or in part) for a run to the national title.

Daniels entered the season as the starter and led UGA to an upset of then-#6 Clemson before suffering an oblique injury the following week. He returned and appeared to solidify the starting position until he reaggrivated his injury, whereupon Bennett—third on the UGA depth chart when the season began—took over from there.

As it turned out, Bennett was everything the Dawgs needed and more, while Cade unfortunately wasn't. The junior QB felt the heat of an NFL-caliber defensive front every snap. Outside of his opening-play scramble for 18 yards, he was pummeled and punished, throwing two interceptions and never really threatening with any drive. All-American kicker Jake "Money" Moody's field goal was all the Wolverines could hang on the scoreboard until Harbaugh pulled McNamera in the fourth quarter for McCarthy, whose 35-yard touchdown strike to freshman Andrel Anthony showed promise albeit too little and far too late.

34-11. Ugh. Not the ending the Wolverines would have hoped for. But not the stage they ever could have imagined.