Georgia vs Cincinnati: Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl prediction and game preview.
Georgia vs Cincinnati: Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl Broadcast
Date: Friday, January 1
Game Time: 12:00 pm
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Network: ESPN
– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions
Georgia (7-2) vs Cincinnati (9-0) Game Preview
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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl
– It’s the annual referendum matchup in the College Football Playoff era. The committee throws the Group of Five programs a cookie, with the top-ranked champion from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt getting a big-name bowl slot against a Power Five program that wasn’t good enough to make the CFP.
The Group of Five started out 3-1 in the CFP era against the big boys, but the Power Five has taken the last two matchups. This time around means a wee bit more because there wasn’t a totally obvious No. 4 team for the playoff, and Cincinnati finished unbeaten and ranked eighth in the final rankings.
A win by the American Athletic Conference champion won’t necessarily change anything going forward, but in the battle for hearts and minds, it would give the Group of Five programs a major talking point. However …
– For good and for bad, Georgia is terrific. Talent-wise, it’s right there with anyone in the country, but the quarterback play was shaky early on, things changed once JT Daniels was healthy enough to go, and the team ripped through a three-game run of wins with the offense improving along the way. That’s all a good thing for Georgia, but if the team plays at its top level, this might not be the prettiest of games.
– Cincinnati has been knocking on the door of big things under head coach Luke Fickell. The program won 11 games two seasons in a row – and two bowl games over Power Five teams – and then came this unbeaten campaign with a conference championship. The problem? There weren’t any games against any top teams, and there weren’t any against Power Five programs. That’s about to change in a big way.
Why Georgia, Cincinnati Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History
NEXT: Why Georgia Will Win, Why Cincinnati Will Win, Georgia vs Cincinnati Prediction
Why Cincinnati Will Win
– The Bearcats have the lines to hold up. This might not always be the most explosive team, and it might not quite have the NFL talent Georgia will bring, but they’re tough enough up front and effective enough to battle hard. The pass protection is terrific, there aren’t a ton of plays in the backfield, and the running game will work.
The defensive front was the best in the American Athletic Conference and was great against the run. The Bearcats have a shot if they don’t get blasted up front.
– Yeah, Georgia looked great once JT Daniels took over and the offense took off in the last few games. Yeah, Georgia beat Mississippi State, South Carolina and Missouri – yippee. The best win was … Auburn? Okay, that’s not bad, but this is a talented team that didn’t beat the big boys. The Dawgs didn’t play Texas A&M, got rocked by Alabama, and rolled by Florida. Cincinnati might not be Florida or Bama, but it’s going to bring the fight.
– The Cincinnati offense is methodically fantastic. The running game is the star – it takes over games when it gets rolling – but it’s a versatile enough attack to move the chains through the air.
There isn’t any one thing the Dawgs can take away, with UC QB Demond Ridder running for 609 yards and 12 scores and throwing for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. Teams started loading up against the run, and Ridder has gone off, throwing for 269 yards or more in four of his last five games.
Why Georgia Will Win
– JT Daniels really has made a difference. Stetson Bennett wasn’t awful he still leads the team in passing and was good against the mediocre teams, but he struggled against the big guys. Daniels – a former super-recruit for USC – has hit 67% of his passes for 839 yards and nine touchdowns with an interception in his three games of work. Best of all, he’s pushing the ball down the field as well as any passer in the Kirby Smart era. That’s big because …
– The Bearcats can be thrown on. Most teams put up yards as they try getting back into the game in blowouts, but UCF was able to make it a fight in a three-point loss with three touchdown passes, Memphis and Brady White were able to throw for over 300 yards, and overall, the rest of the stats look great partly because there weren’t a ton of great passing games on the slate. Daniels and Georgia will provide a big test.
– How good is the American Athletic Conference? The Bearcats might have looked and played great, but they beat Austin Peay, battled against Army, and beat a slew of teams were just okay.
The AAC hasn’t been amazing this bowl season, and the last two games for Cincinnati weren’t awe-inspiring, with a 36-33 win over UCF and needing a walk-off field goal to get by Tulsa for the American Athletic Conference championship. Those two are good, but to keep hammering the point, Georgia is a massive step up in talent level.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Georgia vs Cincinnati Prediction, Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl History
What’s Going To Happen
Cincinnati is going to look and play like the real deal for most of the game.
The defense is active, it doesn’t miss stops, and the secondary is outstanding. The lines are good enough to hold their own, and the offense is going to keep things moving with a good pace and effectiveness.
And then the fourth quarter will start.
Georgia will go on two good second half scoring drives to finally get a little breathing room, the Bearcats will press, and they won’t be able to come through even after getting close in scoring range.
Get ready for a whole lot of Bearcat field goals against a Georgia defense that gives up points in the red zone, but more threes than sevens.
Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl: Georgia vs Cincinnati Prediction, Line
Georgia 34, Cincinnati 26
Bet on Georgia vs Cincinnati with BetMGM
Georgia -7, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
– CFN Experts Picks: Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl
Must See Rating: 5
5: New Year’s Day on the couch
1: New Year’s Eve going out
Chick-fi-A Peach Bowl History
Dec. 28, 2019 CFP LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
Dec. 29, 2018 Florida 41, Michigan 15
Jan. 1, 2018 UCF 34, Auburn 27
Dec. 31, 2016 Alabama 24, Washington 7
Dec. 31, 2015 Houston 38 Florida State 24
Dec. 31, 2014 TCU 42 Mississippi 3
Dec. 31, 2013 Texas A&M 52 Duke 48
Dec. 31, 2012 Clemson 25 LSU 24
Dec. 31, 2011 Auburn 42 Virginia 23
Dec. 31, 2010 Florida State 26 South Carolina 17
Dec. 31, 2009 Virginia Tech 37 Tennessee 14
Dec. 31, 2008 LSU 38 Georgia Tech 3
Dec. 31, 2007 Auburn 23 Clemson 20 (OT)
Dec. 30, 2006 Georgia 31 Virginia Tech 24
Dec. 30, 2005 LSU 40 Miami 3
Dec. 31, 2004 Miami 27 Florida 10
Jan. 2, 2004 Clemson 27 Tennessee 14
Dec. 31, 2002 Maryland 30 Tennessee 3
Dec. 31, 2001 North Carolina 16 Auburn 10
Dec. 29, 2000 LSU 28 Georgia Tech 14
Dec. 30, 1999 Mississippi State 17 Clemson 7
Dec. 31, 1998 Georgia 35 Virginia 33
Jan. 2, 1998 Auburn 21 Clemson 17
Dec. 28, 1996 LSU 10 Clemson 7
Dec. 30, 1995 Virginia 34 Georgia 27
Jan. 1, 1995 N.C. State 28 Mississippi State 24
Dec. 31, 1993 Clemson 14 Kentucky 13
Jan. 2, 1993 North Carolina 21 Mississippi State 17
Jan. 1, 1992 East Carolina 37 N.C. State 34
Dec. 29, 1990 Auburn 27 Indiana 23
Dec. 30, 1989 Syracuse 19 Georgia 18
Dec. 31, 1988 N.C. State 28 Iowa 23
Jan. 2, 1988 Tennessee 27 Indiana 22
Dec. 31, 1986 Virginia Tech 25 N.C. State 24
Dec. 31, 1985 Army 31 Illinois 29
Dec. 31, 1984 Virginia 27 Purdue 24
Dec. 30, 1983 Florida State 28 North Carolina 3
Dec. 31, 1982 Iowa 28 Tennessee 22
Dec. 31, 1981 West Virginia 26 Florida 6
Jan. 2, 1981 Miami 20 Virginia Tech 10
Dec. 31, 1979 Baylor 24 Clemson 18
Dec. 25, 1978 Purdue 41 Georgia Tech 21
Dec. 31, 1977 N.C. State 24 Iowa State 14
Dec. 31, 1976 Kentucky 21 North Carolina 0
Dec. 31, 1975 West Virginia 13 N.C. State 10
Dec. 28, 1974 Texas Tech 6 Vanderbilt 6
Dec. 28, 1973 Georgia 17 Maryland 16
Dec. 29, 1972 N.C. State 49 West Virginia 13
Dec. 30, 1971 Mississippi 41 Georgia Tech 18
Dec. 30, 1970 Arizona State 48 North Carolina 26
Dec. 30, 1969 West Virginia 14 South Carolina 3
Dec. 30, 1968 LSU 31 Florida State 27
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