The Ohio State Buckeyes got a gift with a CFP invitation after some of their competition failed to get the job done. Their reward is a matchup with the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl semifinal matchup. The Dawgs cruised through last year’s playoff field outscoring Michigan and Alabama 67-29 en route to its first CFP title. The winning streak reached 15 with a 50-30 thumping of LSU in the SEC title tilt with UGA improving to 9-6 ATS in those games. The Buckeyes are coming off a humbling loss to Michigan in their regular season finale but snuck into the playoff when USC lost in the Pac-12 championship.
The Peach Bowl college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs will take place at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 31, 2022 and will be televised on ESPN.
Peach Bowl – Ohio State vs Georgia Odds
Ohio State Buckeyes +6.5
Georgia Bulldogs -6.5
Over/Under 62.5
Odds Analysis
Oddsmakers are expecting a lot of offense with the total set at 60.5. I guess the betting public agrees even more with the number wagered to 62.5. Both teams are prolific on offense ranking among the top-7 in the FBS in total yards while averaging more than 39 points. The difference lies on the defensive side with UGA allowing the second-fewest points in the FBS. As a result the Dawgs are a 6.5-point favorite to win their 16th consecutive game overall and third straight CFP matchup. Georgia ended a 2-game ATS slide covering the 14-point line in a 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC championship. This will be just the second game as a single-digit fave with the other a 27-13 decision over Tennessee in Week 10 when laying 9.5-points. Overall the Dawgs are 7-6 ATS. OSU is catching points for the first time since the 2021 CFP when they upset Clemson and lost to Alabama in the championship game.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes feel like they’re playing with house money after sneaking into the playoff following a stunning 45-23 home loss to arch-rival Michigan in the regular season finale. One game doesn’t define a season and OSU’s body of work leading up to that was impressive. So while they may have snuck into the playoff they certainly are worthy. And they’ll be a tough out with an offense that can move the football. The defense had a hard time stopping UM’s ground game allowing 252 rushing yards, but the Buckeyes amassed nearly 500 yards on Michigan’s elite defense. C.J. Stroud threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. The Heisman finalist had another strong year with 3,340 passing yards and 37 touchdowns.
Ohio State boasts the second-highest scoring team in the FBS with an average of 44.5 points. They were held to 21 points by Northwestern and Notre Dame earlier in the season, teams not as strong defensively as the group they go against in this one. Leading rusher Miyan Williams is expected to play after missing most of the last two games with an ankle injury. But his replacement TreVeyon Henderson is out with a broken foot.
Georgia Bulldogs
With all the talk about their defense the Bulldogs possess a potent offense to go along with it. That’s exactly why they were No. 1 in the national rankings earned the top playoff seed. Stetson Bennett directs a unit that 39.2 points and 491.8 yards. After a few down weeks the offense came alive against LSU totaling 529 yards with Bennett throwing for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Kendall Milton rushed for 113 yards on just eight carries and the team averages 5.7 yards per rush attempts behind one of if not the best line in the country. Bennett has thrown for 3,420 yards and has been sacked just seven times this season, none in the last six outings.
The game with LSU was alarming because of the numbers the Tigers put up. UGA hadn’t allowed more than 22 points in a game all season and five opponents were held to seven or fewer points. So giving up 502 passing yards and 30 points is concerning, though much of the damage was administered after the Dawgs built a 35-7 first half lead. Still, it’s something to watch and if the Buckeyes can linger around the Bulldogs might not know how to react since nine of their 13 wins came by 20 points or more.
Ohio State vs Georgia Prediction
Georgia’s pass defense showed cracks against LSU, but with that game out of hand it’s easy to take the foot off the gas. OSU should get its chunk of yards and an underrated defense will keep the game close, for a while at least. I do think Georgia is a better balanced team that limits mistakes and that will be what gets them a trip to the championship.
Prediction: Georgia Bulldogs -6.5 and UNDER 62.5
