Ohio State likely thought hopes of a national championship when Michigan’s football team pounded the Buckeyes by 22 points to end the regular season. However, Utah upsetting USC in the Pac-12 title game opened the door back up for the Buckeyes. Now that Ohio State has forced its way back onto the big stage, the Buckeyes will have a tall task against defending champions Georgia.
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The Buckeyes, who are the No. 4 seed and making their fifth appearance in the CFP, have won as the lowest seed before. Ohio State upset Ohio State and Oregon to win in 2014. The Buckeyes haven’t won a title since. Georgia finally broke through in 2021 to win its first national championship since the 1980s.
The Bulldogs are making their third appearance in the CFP and have advanced to the championship game in their past two appearances. Here’s a look at which team will be favored to bring home another CFP title. This Peach Bowl will be a fun SEC vs. Big Ten matchup.
Georgia on my mind
The Bulldogs mostly cruised through the regular season on their way to a 13-0 record and first SEC title since 2017. Georgia opened the season with a statement 49-3 win over Oregon and closed with a 50-30 destruction of LSU. The Bulldogs are deserving 6.5-point favorites and are -265 on the moneyline.
Missouri may have given Georgia its toughest test of the season. The Tigers were the only team to lose to Georgia by less than 10 points.
The walk-on who wouldn’t quit
Stetson Bennett IV being named a Heisman finalist would have surprised many college football observers last season. However, the former walk-on earned the honors in 2022 by turning in a fantastic regular season. Bennett passed for 3,425 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He also ran for 184 yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns. Bennett, who started at Georgia before transferring to a community college for a year before coming back to the Bulldogs, has a 24-3 record in three seasons as Georgia’s starting quarterback.
What makes Georgia’s offense unique is how balanced the Bulldogs offense is. Georgia doesn’t have a 1,000-yard receiver or rusher.
Buckeyes sneak into the playoffs
Ohio State, which is +220 on the moneyline, appeared to be cruising to a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Then the Buckeyes lost 45-23 to Michigan. Ohio State had won all of its games by double figures before the loss to the Wolverines.
The Buckeyes didn’t play a particularly tough schedule. Ohio State went 2-1 against ranked teams. The Buckeyes opened the season by beating Notre Dame and came from behind to beat Penn State.
Due to losing by double figures against the Wolverines, Ohio State needed help to get into the last four teams. Losses by TCU and USC opened the door for the Buckeyes. Ohio State was rewarded thanks to only having a loss to another top-four team.
Buckeyes led by star skill players
Marvin Harrison Jr. has been one of the best, if not the top, wide receiver in college football this season. Harrison has hauled in 72 passes for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka also has caught 66 passes for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud is the maestro of the offense. He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,340 yards including 37 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Georgia will return to title game
Both the Bulldogs and Buckeyes didn’t have the toughest schedules. However, whenever Georgia had tough tests — against Tennessee and Oregon — the Bulldogs were able to raise the level of their play in dominant wins. Ohio State also mostly dominated out of the poor performance again Michigan.
The question for the Buckeyes will be whether or not they can move the ball against the Georgia defense. The Bulldogs are undefeated and defending champions for a reason. While Ohio State won’t make this game easy, Georgia should be able to cover the 6.5-point spread.