Expert Ohio State football predictions for Georgia CFP semifinal game
The Ohio State football team is two wins away from claiming a national championship, but that is easier said than done.
To win that championship, the Buckeyes would need to beat the reigning national champion, Georgia (in Atlanta), and then beat either high-powered TCU or their biggest rival, who has beaten them in their their two meetings, Michigan.
That path begins Saturday when No. 4 Ohio State plays the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the 2022 Peach Bowl in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Ohio State vs. UGA: A look at how they match up in College Football Playoff semifinal
What channel is the Ohio State game on?What channel is the Ohio State game on vs. Georgia football at the Peach Bowl in the CFP?
The Buckeyes haven't faced Georgia in almost 30 years, when the two played in the 1993 Florida Citrus Bowl. The Bulldogs won 21-14.
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If Las Vegas has it their way, the score will be somewhat similar. Ohio State is a 6.5-point underdog to Georgia.
So the smart people in Vegas have their picks, but what about the experts at The Columbus Dispatch and Athens Banner-Herald? Here's how they see the game:
Bill Rabinowitz, Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State beat writer
The Columbus Dispatch
Georgia 38, Ohio State 34
Georgia is the favorite, and rightly so. The Bulldogs have been the more consistent, complete team. Can the Buckeyes win? Sure. OSU has the offensive explosiveness to outscore anyone. But Georgia’s defense is by far the best the Buckeyes have faced, and OSU’s defense has had breakdowns against good offenses. That’s enough to give Georgia the edge.
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Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State beat writer
The Columbus Dispatch
Georgia 38, Ohio State 31
Expect the Buckeyes to hang around as there’s reason to think C.J. Stroud could exploit weaknesses in Georgia’s secondary. The Bulldogs surrendered their share of explosive plays late in the regular season. But a semifinal upset is a tall order. The top seed has lost only twice since the debut of the playoff in 2014 and too many questions remain about how Ohio State might handle Jalen Carter, the superstar tackle on a stacked defensive line who blows up plays.
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Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch
Sports columnist
The Columbus Dispatch
Georgia 30, Ohio State 27
So .... preseason I picked Ohio State to win the CFP national championship. What changed? The opponent, for one thing. I predicted the Buckeyes would defeat Alabama, not Georgia. The Bulldogs are better than I thought Bama would be. I also did not foresee Jaxon Smith-Njigba unavailable as a security blanket for C.J. Stroud. Add the downward spiral of OSU looking pedestrian in its last three games, including the loss to Michigan, and the Buckeyes come up just short. Too bad. That rematch with the Wolverines would have been a whopper.
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Colin Gay, Columbus Dispatch
Real-time reporter
The Columbus Dispatch
Georgia 35, Ohio State 20
Ohio State's storyline heading into the College Football Playoff is truly unprecedented: sneaking into the No. 4 spot seemingly at rock bottom after losing to rival Michigan at home in the game the entire 2022 season was building up to. How does Ohio State respond? While all of the attention will likely sit on the shoulders of quarterback C.J. Stroud, the game will be decided at the line of scrimmage in the battle of Georgia's front four against the Buckeyes' offensive line and in the Ohio State secondary, specifically at the slot corner and safety position against players like Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington Jr. Ohio State has something to play for. The Buckeyes have plenty to prove. But Georgia's track record doesn't lead to much confidence that Ohio State can dig out of the hole Michigan put them in.
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Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia beat writer
Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia 38, Ohio State 24
Ohio State has the motivation factor on its side after the Michigan game got away in the second half, but the Bulldogs defense has surely heard plenty about the 502 passing yards LSU put on them in the SEC championship win. Expect C.J. Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr. to make their share of plays, but the Buckeyes need to get more from the running game, and that’s a tough task against Georgia’s stout front. The Bulldogs and Stetson Bennett have played their best in the biggest games. This certainly is one of them. Ohio State’s defense looks susceptible to big plays and that’s bad news against Todd Monken’s offense.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs Georgia prediction in College Football Playoff
