By the numbers: The South has dominated the CFP; can the Big Ten make up some ground?

There have been 24 College Football Playoff games since the four-team format began in 2014-15. Fourteen of those contests have been won by SEC programs.

The SEC has had two teams in twice (Alabama and Georgia in each of the 2017 and 2021 seasons), while this year is the first in which another league has earned multiple bids, with Michigan being the No. 2 seed and Ohio State slotting No. 4.

With that, the Big Ten has the chance to make up some ground. It has a lot of headway to make to even the score, though, with the Wolverines set to take on No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl and the Buckeyes slated to play No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Both tilts will take place New Year’s Eve.

The Big Ten has won three games, all Ohio State victories, including two in the inaugural playoff in 2014, when the Buckeyes took home the national title. Only two other conferences besides the SEC and Big Ten have notched playoff triumphs — the ACC (six wins from Clemson) and the Pac-12 (one win from Oregon).

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Lumping Clemson in with the SEC schools, the South has won 19 of the 24 playoff games, including 13 of 16 semifinal matchups. Only Alabama (9), Clemson (6), Georgia (3), Ohio State (3), LSU (2) and Oregon (1) have won CFP clashes.

One of Michigan or TCU will join that mix this year, and the Horned Frogs have the chance to improve on the Big 12’s 0-4 record (all Oklahoma losses).

Michigan is one of seven programs to make multiple CFP appearances, joining Alabama (7), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4), Georgia (3) and Notre Dame (2). This year, the Wolverines and Bulldogs became the fifth and six programs to make back-to-back showings.

Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh is the eighth head coach to take his team to multiple CFPs, joining Alabama’s Nick Saban (7), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (6), Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley (3), Georgia’s Kirby Smart (3), Ohio State’s Ryan Day (3), Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly (2; he’s now coaching at LSU) and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer (2).

By the numbers: Michigan football vs. TCU

2nd Appearance in the Fiesta Bowl for Michigan, which played in the game Jan. 1, 1986 and was quarterbacked by Harbaugh. The Wolverines won, 27-23, over Nebraska.

3 Teams scored 20 or more points against Michigan in 13 games — Maryland (27), Ohio State (23) and Purdue (22). The Wolverines rank fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 13.4 points per outing. They’re third in total defense (277.1 yards per game), third in rushing defense (85.2) and 23rd in passing defense (191.8).

7 Total touchdowns for Michigan sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy over the last two games (Ohio State, Purdue) — 6 passing and 1 rushing. He’s thrown 20 touchdown passes and notched 4 rushing scores this season.

7th Is where Michigan ranks nationally in scoring offense, putting up 40.1 points per contest. The Wolverines are 27th in total offense (453.5 yards per game), fifth in rushing offense (243) and tied for 92nd in passing offense (210.5). Despite the low passing offense rank, Michigan is much better in terms of efficiency, averaging 8.2 yards per pass (tied for 29th).

7.5 Sacks for Michigan senior EDGE Mike Morris, which slots second in the Big Ten. The 6-6, 292-pounder has seen 11 of his 21 tackles come behind the line of scrimmage. He was named the conference’s defensive lineman of the year. TCU linebacker Dee Winters has an identical number of sacks, slotting second in the Big 12, while Horned Frogs defensive lineman Dylan Horton — a 6-4, 275-pounder — is tied for fifth in the conference with 6 quarterback takedowns.

18 Of TCU senior quarterback Max Duggan‘s 30 touchdown passes have come on deep passes (20-plus yards in the air), which leads the nation, per PFF. He ranks second in the country with 18.3 yards per attempt on such throws. Michigan has allowed opponents to hit on 34 percent of their throws of 20-plus yards in the air for an 11.2-yard average, which ranks 88th in the land, per Sports Info Solutions.

40.3 Points per game for TCU, which ranks sixth in the country. The Horned Frogs are 15th in total offense (473 yards per game), 25th in passing offense (273) and 25th in rushing offense (200).

54.2 Percent of sophomore running back Donovan Edwards‘ 872 rushing yards have come on dashes of 15-plus yards, with that “breakaway percentage” ranking 10th nationally among those with at least 65 carries this season. Edwards leads the nation with 4 60-plus yard runs, tied with UAB’s DeWayne McBride. He’s fourth with a 7.5 yards-per-carry average.

57th In the country is where TCU slots in scoring defense, allowing 25 points per outing. The Horned Frogs are 74th in total defense (385.1 yards per game), 83rd in passing defense (235.6) and 65th in rushing defense (149.5).

103.3 Rushing yards per game for TCU junior running back Kendre Miller, which slots fourth in the Big 12 and 20th in the country. He’s registered 216 carries for 1,342 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season. He’s seen 763 of those yards come between the tackles, averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per carry on those runs.

128 Rushing yards shy of 1,000 for Michigan sophomore running back Donovan Edwards. Despite being out for the season, junior running back Blake Corum (1,463) has already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark. If Edwards hits the milestone, that will mark the first time Michigan has two 1,000-yard rushers since 2011 (Denard Robinson, Fitzgerald Toussaint) and the first time it has had two 1,000-yard rushers from the running back position since 1975 (Rob Lytle, Gordon Bell).

219 plays of 10-plus yards for TCU (10th nationally). The Horned Frogs have 84 of 20-plus (tied for fourth), 44 of 30-plus (second), 24 of 40-plus (third), 19 of 50-plus (first) and 10 of 60-plus (second).

2013 Was the last time Michigan played a Big 12 program — a 31-14 loss to Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. The Wolverines are 3-3 against the Big 12 and have never played TCU.