Ohio State football vs. Georgia predictions: Can the Buckeyes best beat the Bulldogs?

ATLANTA Ohio State football’s postseason record as the betting underdog should be encouraging for Buckeye fans heading into Saturday’s Peach Bowl playoff semifinal against Georgia.

by Odds Shark Database, OSU has won eight of its last 12 games as a postseason underdog dating back to the 2002 national title game. Miami was favored by 12 that day, but the Buckeyes won 31-24. Most recently, OSU won the 2020 playoff semifinal against Clemson and both legs of its 2014 national championship as the underdog.

Once again, we put the Buckeye Talk chips into play and predict the outcome of Saturday’s game. We opted against the spread and total because Georgia was favored by 6 points and the over/under was 62.5 points.

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Check out the video above for an in-depth discussion of how we expect the game to develop.

Nathan Baird

Ohio State 38, Georgia 37

How much does Ohio State’s second half against Michigan matter, and how much was it simply a good team picking the worst possible moment to play its worst football? Going into the final week of the regular season, there was very little evidence that Georgia was clearly better than the Buckeyes. Ohio State has the better quarterback in this game and has the most dynamic offensive playmaker. Georgia has the better defense, but with certain vulnerabilities, OSU might be able to capitalize. It’s still a toss-up how it felt through 11 games. So I’m leaning towards picking a team that, in addition to the national championship, is playing for pride and redemption.

Game selection: Ohio State +6 (50 Buckeye Talk tokens)

Over under: Over 62.5 (21.83 BT Marks)

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Stephen means

Ohio State 42, Georgia 39

I think Ohio State is the only team in the country that checks off all the things it takes to beat Georgia. You beat the Bulldogs by throwing over them, which requires an aggressive playmaker, an NFL-level quarterback, and NFL-level wide receivers. The Buckeyes have all of those things. The last step is to just not overthink things. As it has for most of the past three years, OSU’s road to a national title begins with passing. If it shows on Saturday, they could walk away victorious even as heavy underdogs in a back-and-forth race.

Game selection: Ohio State +6 (8 BTT)

Over under: Over 62.5 (5 BTT)

Doug Lesmerises

Georgia 42, Ohio State 41

This feels like a toss-up and a play where the Buckeyes should be able to move the ball. I just can’t pick Ohio State to win against a Georgia team that I don’t think will make anything easy. Expect some big games from the more explosive Buckeyes, and I’m sure I’ll take both the Buckeyes’ points and carries.

Game selection: Ohio State +6 (12 BTT)

Over under: Over 62.5 (15 BTT)

Week 13 results

NATHAN BAIRD

Previous bankroll: 73.19

Game selection: Ohio State -7.5 DRAWED -15

O/U: Over 56.5 VOI +13.64

Season record: 5-7-0 ATS, 6-6-0 O/U

New cash register: 71.83

STEPHEN MEANS

Previous bankroll: 76.74

Game selection: Ohio State -7.5 DRAWED -14

O/U: Over 56.5 VOI +9.09

Season record: 4-8-0 ATS, 7-5-0 O/U

New cash register: 71.83

DOUG LESMERISES

Previous bankroll: 146.10

Game selection: Ohio State -7.5 DRAWED -12

O/U: Over 56.5 VOI +5.45

Season record: 4-8-0 ATS, 9-3-0 O/U

New cash register: 139.55

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