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Road to the CFP: Georgia vs Ohio State

Favored Bulldogs Eyeing Fifth Straight Bowl Win

While Georgia seemed destined to be in the College Football Playoffs, jumping out to a huge lead in a season-opening win over Oregon, Ohio State needed help from Utah taking down Southern California in the Pac-12 title game to make it into the CFP field.

Getting into the field is only part of the equation. Now the Buckeyes need to take on defending national champion Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET.

Stetson Bennett #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs warms up prior to the SEC Championship against the LSU Tigers
Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images - AFP

Georgia (-135) is the heavy favorite in the odds to win the national title. Ohio State is priced at +350, according to the college football playoff odds.

Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports and college football lines for Georgia vs Ohio State. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.

Line Movement

Georgia opened as a 6½-point favorite and now is favored by seven.

The total opened at 61 points and is now at 63.

No. 4 Seed Ohio State Buckeyes

  • Record: 11-1
  • Record Against the Spread: 5-6-1
  • Record As An Underdog: 0-0 (0-0)
  • Head coach: Ryan Day, fourth season
  • Head coaching record: 45-5
  • Best CFP finish: 2014 national champions

No. 1 Seed Georgia Bulldogs

  • Record: 13-0
  • Record Against the Spread: 7-6
  • Record As a Favorite: 13-0 (7-6 against the spread)
  • Head coach: Kirby Smart, seventh season
  • Head coaching record: 79-15
  • Best CFP finish: 2021 national champions

2022 Back-Door Covers

The college football odds listed Georgia as a 27½-point favorite in an October matchup against Auburn before a 15-yard scoring run by Branson Robinson with 4:48 left to play enabled the Bulldogs to score with a 42-10 win.

The Bulldogs were up 15 on Florida as a 23-point favorite. Things got interesting when Kenny McIntosh scored early in the fourth quarter to make it a 22-point game.

Georgia passed on a 51-yard field goal on its next drive and turned the ball over on downs as the Bulldogs failed to cover.

Ohio State was favored by 39 points against Rutgers. The Buckeyes drove into Rutgers territory in its last two drives but failed to score as the game ended as a 49-10 win over Ohio State.

When the Buckeyes faced Penn State, the Nittany Lions scored with 1:12 to cover as 15½-point underdogs.

Ohio State covered as a 40-point favorite as a touchdown with 8:49 left to play pushed the lead to 42 points.

Playing From Behind

Georgia has only trailed in three games. The Bulldogs were down for just 93 seconds in a win over Tennessee and were down for more than 10 minutes in the first half versus Georgia Tech. The real struggle came against Missouri when Georgia trailed for more than 45 minutes before rallying late for the 26-22 win.

Ohio State rallied from behind in five games. Notre Dame led for nearly 33½ minutes in a season-opening win against the Fighting Irish, trailing for less than 10 minutes against Rutgers and Maryland.

Ohio State trailed in the fourth quarter against Penn State before scoring on four consecutive drives en route to the 44-31 win. The Buckeyes were down for more than 19 minutes in that game. Ohio State also played from behind for more than 19 minutes against Northwestern.

Then came the Michigan contest when Ohio State only trailed for 1:35 in the first half but was down for nearly 26½ minutes in the second half.

Georgia has trailed for just 57:08 this season compared to 109:09 for Ohio State.

Ohio State vs Georgia Game Information

  • Game: Ohio State vs Georgia
  • Date: Dec. 31st, 8 p.m. ET
  • Location: Peach Bowl, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
  • Line: Georgia -7 (Ev)
  • Moneyline: Ohio State +205, Georgia -250
  • Total: 63
  • Ohio State vs Georgia Live Stream: ESPN

Who’s Missing?

Ohio State will be without running back TreVeyon Henderson -due to a foot injury that requires surgery- and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. On a team with two of the first three receivers selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Smith-Njigba was Ohio State’s leader in receptions and receiving yards last season. Unfortunately, a tender hamstring sabotaged his 2022 season, and he is also out for the CFP.

Keep an eye on running back Miyan Williams and offensive lineman Matt Jones to see if they will be good to go.

Georgia is without edge rusher Nolan Smith and safety Dan Jackson. There’s not much clarity coming out of the Georgia camp about the availability of receiver Ladd McConkey and offensive tackle Warren McClendon.

Recent Bowl History

Georgia has won its last four bowl games, covering in three of them. Each of the Bulldogs’ last five bowl games finished under the Las Vegas odds total.

Ohio State has won four of its last six bowl games. Each of the last three bowl games finished over the total. Three of the last five matchups finished as one-score games.

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