Ohio State/Georgia – Peach Bowl Preview
No. 1 Georgia will face No. 4 Ohio State in the Peach Bowl semifinal, which will be held in Atlanta on Dec. 31. Georgia is one of two underrated teams this season. Ohio State has been great all year long. They just had a terrible second-half performance against the Michigan Wolverines, which handed them their only loss of the season. The Buckeyes deserve to be in the playoffs. While Georgia is looking to become back-to-back champions for the first time in the CFP era, the Buckeyes are trying to crash the party and say, “this is our time.”
Out of the four teams in the playoff rankings, Ohio State is the program with the most experience. It’s the Buckeyes’ fifth playoff appearance and third in the last four seasons. Georgia and Ohio State once faced each other in 1993 at the Citrus Bowl. Georgia won the meeting, 21-14.
Both teams have an explosive offense. For Ohio State, it’s the Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback C.J. Stroud. With one of the best receivers in college football in Marvin Harrison Jr. For Georgia, it’s veteran quarterback Stetson Bennett and an All-America tight end Brock Bowers.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud had a great season going with 3,340 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions on the year. Also, he ranks 3rd in QBR with 87.7. I’m not worried about what Ohio State can do on offense; I’m more concerned with their defense. Georgia not only has an incredible offense but a ferocious defense as well. We didn’t think Georgia would duplicate or repeat last year’s success, especially since so many of their players went to the NFL Draft. But this Georgia team is ready to go and prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
Ohio State’s defense needs to limit Georgia from having big plays and not let Bennett have any confidence. Bennett is good, but you have to make it difficult for him. The Buckeyes’ defense needs to match Buckeyes’ offense. A victory over Georgia will be an excellent redemption victory for Ohio State after getting pummeled by Michigan on their home turf.
About Author
