And here we go.
It’s New Year’s Eve and the city of Atlanta is ready to ring in the New Year with a College Football Playoff party between Ohio State and Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. All the talk, analysis, and slicing and dicing of this matchup can stop, and we can have the ball put down to kick this thing off in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Each week during the college football season, after we dissect things multiple ways ourselves here at Buckeyes Wire, we like to predict the week’s OSU game, and we’re not stopping in the postseason.
Phil, Mark, Josh and our new writer, Michael Chen, are happy to oblige and tell anyone within earshot (or with WiFi ability) who will win this College Football Playoff semifinal, and why.
Mark Russell, Featured Writer
geared up 🍑#gobucks pic.twitter.com/WqGVk95Nkk
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 30, 2022
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The Prediction
I believe Ohio State is going to come out focused and swinging. The team has heard all the naysayers and just has too much pride and talent to roll over and play dead. The Buckeyes are getting a chance not many get … a shot at redemption and it’s one they will not take lightly.
This game will come right down to the wire. Unfortunately, I believe Ohio State will fall just short. I hope I’m wrong here, but Georgia does the little things well and plays disciplined to come out on top, albeit closer than the experts think.
Score
Georgia 37, Ohio State 34
Phil Harrison, Publisher/Editor and Featured Writer
𝐜𝐡.𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 🎥🔥🍿 pic.twitter.com/934CqlfcRt
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 29, 2022
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The Prediction
I know it’s easy to dwell on the loss to Michigan, but Ohio State had that game and just didn’t execute well enough early on to take advantage of opportunities to be up by a few scores. The Buckeyes will show up against Georgia and make this one a ball game throughout. C.J. Stroud will have a day but the running game will not be able to keep the game balanced enough against a really, really good Bulldogs’ defense to keep the offense rolling like it will need to pull off the upset.
I will not be overly surprised if Ohio State finds a way to win this thing, but my money is on the more complete team, and one not coming off of a very ugly showing. Advantage Georgia just a little over an hour from Athens with a crowd that’s mostly geared toward the team wearing red and black.
Score
Georgia 31, Ohio State 27
Josh Keatley, Featured Writer
best fridays in college football: peach bowl edition 🍑 #gobucks pic.twitter.com/RnAyz1dI7i
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 31, 2022
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The Prediction
Georgia hasn’t seen a passing offense like this and Marvin Harrison Jr. Will go crazy. Stroud is going to need to run the ball to avoid this Georgia pass rush, but if he can this can be a big W.
Score
Ohio State 35, Georgia 28
Michael Chen, Featured Writer
work week done.#gobucks pic.twitter.com/MlnvgCOxfd
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 29, 2022
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The Prediction
This one is so tough for me to predict. On one hand, I’m buying the underdog mentality, the disrespect, and the fact the Buckeyes have nothing to lose and can play free and easy. On the other hand, the realist in me comes into play. Georgia has coasted through the tough SEC and has some very impressive wins on its resume.
At the end of the day, I think this game comes down to which defense can make the most plays at the end of the game. Unfortunately for Ohio State, it hasn’t been the same defense down the stretch while Georgia has been consistently impressive. The Buckeye in me hurts to say they will lose, but the realist in me can’t come up with a real reason they will win. I really hope I’m wrong.
Score
Georgia 38, Ohio State 31
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