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No. 1 Georgia has grabbed the eye of the college football world because it tries to grow to be the primary repeat nationwide champion since Alabama received back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs have one of many faculty soccer’s most harmful groups — No. 4 Ohio State — standing of their means within the Peach Bowl nationwide semifinal Saturday.
The Bulldogs received their first SEC title since 2017 after they topped LSU in Atlanta earlier this month, whereas the Buckeyes’ quest for an ideal season got here to an abrupt halt within the regular-season finale vs. rival Michigan. One of many largest storylines is that this one will function two Heisman Trophy finalists — Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.
What is going to occur within the Peach Bowl? Let’s break down the sport and make a choose.
Georgia vs. Ohio State: Have to know
The Stroud issue: It looks as if there is a narrative forming that Stroud’s struggles vs. Michigan make a pattern reasonably than an outlier. In actuality, nothing is farther from the reality. The star Buckeyes quarterback nonetheless threw for 349 yards and accomplished 64.6 of his passes when, for probably the most half, Michigan knew that Stroud needed to air it out. Plus, Stroud had a month-long reset to construct off these errors. Can he can reap the benefits of a Georgia protection that’s corresponding to what what the Wolverines needed to provide? If you happen to select to depend out an indignant Stroud, achieve this at your individual peril.
Bulldogs can gentle it up, too: The Georgia protection will get a lot of the buzz, however its offense has confirmed all through the season that it could actually gentle up a scoreboard as properly. It ranks within the prime 10 in complete offense — its 491.9 yards per sport are one spot behind Ohio State — and seventh in yards per play at 6.97. Bear in mind: The Bulldogs have not been in lots of positions during which they should crank it up in an effort to preserve the unblemished file alive. Can Georgia dangle if Ohio State forces a shootout? The stats recommend it could actually.
Ohio State harm considerations: Star working again TreVeyon Henderson will not play because of a foot harm and broad receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be off to the NFL subsequent season after coping with a hamstring harm all yr. Will their absences determine the sport? Smith-Njigba’s in all probability will not. He solely has 5 catches all season and hasn’t performed since October 27. The Buckeyes have two receivers who’ve topped the 1,000-yard mark with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. If anyone tells you that Smith-Njigba’s harm is an element in any respect, that individual is both mendacity or hasn’t paid consideration to Ohio State all yr. As for Henderson, his harm is sub-optimal, however Ohio State has been capable of work round it, too. Myian Williams is its main rusher this yr with 817 yards and 13 touchdowns and has basically been a co-starter with Henderson.
watch Peach Bowl reside
Date: Saturday, Dec. 31 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
TV: ESPN | Stay stream: fuboTV (Strive totally free)
Peach Bowl prediction, picks
Featured Recreation | Georgia Bulldogs vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
I am going to take the Buckeyes to not solely cowl, however win it outright. The posh of time will assist coach Ryan Day’s squad greater than Kirby Good’s, and the dearth of respect will solely add to that motivation. Georgia hasn’t been in a shootout state of affairs this yr, however Ohio State will do this on Saturday. I am going to seize the factors in case Ohio State falls quick, however this might be a four-quarter traditional. Prediction: Ohio State (+6.5)
Which faculty soccer picks are you able to make with confidence throughout bowl season, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a confirmed pc mannequin that has returned virtually $2,500 in revenue over the previous six-plus seasons — and discover out.
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