If you spent the day after Championship weekend the way that I did, you were impatiently waiting for the reveal of the four teams in the College Football Playoffs. We knew Georgia would play one of three teams in their game: TCU, Ohio State, or Alabama.
The only question was who. Then the time came and to some people’s dismay, the Georgia Bulldogs will be facing the Ohio State Buckeyes on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.
It will be only the second time that the Bulldogs and Buckeyes will take the field against each other, with the only other meeting coming in 1993, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 21-14.
This marks the second straight year that the Kirby Smart-led Bulldogs will compete in the College Football Playoff, winning the team’s first National Championship since 1980 last season.
With many so called “experts” wondering how the Dawgs could possibly still compete at the high level that they did last season, which included losing 15 players to the NFL draft last season, setting a modern-NFL record.
The Dawgs showed everyone that they weren’t just a one-year wonder, sitting at 13-0 currently and leading the nation in rushing yards allowed and holding their opponents to just 12 points per game. People knew that the defense would still be good, but the thing that has stuck out to a lot of people is the offense.
Former walk-on Stetson Bennett shined for the Dawgs over the course of the season, attempting at least 30 passes in 10 of the team’s 13 games. Bennett would put his name near the top of the list of College Football’s most prestigious individual award: the Heisman Trophy.
His four-touchdown performance against the LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship game would all but clinch his spot in New York City for the presentation. Bennett would finish in fourth place in the Heisman voting, getting 31 first place votes.
Tight end Brock Bowers would take home the John Mackey award, given to the best tight end in the nation.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had a different kind of day, waiting to see if they had proved enough to the College Football Playoff committee to secure one of the four spots. Aalst, they heard their name called as the fourth and final team.
The Buckeyes came into the season with perhaps one of the most talented rosters we have seen in years from Columbus. The hype of returning starter CJ Stroud was real, with him finishing in fourth place in the Heisman voting last season. Add in the most prolific receiver in the country in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a top-five returning running back nationally in TreVeyon Henderson and it looked like the Buckeyes would have the highest scoring offenses.
However, the injury bug cost the Buckeyes big time. Smith-Njigba and Henderson have only played a combined 11 games this season. Both are ruled out for the Peach Bowl as well.
This gave the opportunity to two sophomores that stepped up in big ways for the Buckeyes. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka both totaled over 1,000 receiving yards for the season and combined for 21 touchdowns. The ground game for the Buckeyes is suitable at best, as they much prefer to keep the ball in CJ Stroud’s hands.
Key to the game
The key for both teams to win on New Year’s Eve lies solely on how well the secondary plays. The Dawgs have struggled throughout the season at times in the secondary, with numerous pass interference calls and allowing 502 yards through the air in the SEC Championship game against LSU. Perhaps the only area that the Dawgs don’t excel in is this one, ranking 52nd in the country in passing yards allowed per game.
The Buckeyes rank 15th in the nation in passing yards allowed, but they allowed 278 passing yards to the Michigan Wolverines while only completing 13 passes. The run defense was no better, allowing 252 yards on the ground in that game, including a 75-yard touchdown run and an 85-yard touchdown run, both in the fourth quarter.
Big plays are something that the Buckeyes will have to prevent if they want a chance against the Dawgs.