Dec 5, 2022 - Sports

No. 1 Georgia has a New Year's Eve date with Ohio State

Ross Terrell

confetti falls around the Georgia Bulldogs as they hold up the SEC championship trophy — The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate their SEC Championship Saturday. Photo: Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Georgia is the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and two wins away from a second straight national title.

State of play: The Bulldogs have a New Year’s Eve date with fourth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Game time is set for 8pm at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Why it matters: The college football season gets real now. Beat the Buckeyes, and the Bulldogs will move on to the national championship game. Lose, and a dominant year would abruptly end.

Catch up fast: Georgia capped off a spotless 13-0 season with a 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC championship on Saturday.

The Bulldogs had some games where they looked vulnerable — a four-point win against Missouri and a 10-point win against Kentucky — but never fell.

What's next: A rejuvenated Ohio State team. The Buckeyes lost their last game of the season by 22 points against Michigan — a loss that sent them reeling and had many people thinking their season was done.

But the team ranked ahead of them, USC, lost on a wild championship Saturday, giving OSU a new life.

My thought bubble: In September, when Axios Atlanta previewed UGA's season, I had a little thought bubble. It read, in part, "...This season will belong to The Ohio State University. Go Bucks! OH!"

Now the two teams will face off with a chance for a trip to the championship.
And I'm doubling down. When Ohio State wins this one, hopefully you can hear me whispering "I told you so."

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No. 1 Georgia has a New Year's Eve date with Ohio State

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