Why Ohio State is Equipped to Beat Georgia
What Heather Dinich Says
How they do it this year: “This scenario assumes they meet again in the CFP, whether it’s a semifinal or the national championship. To finish the job, Ohio State can’t allow so many big plays on defense. According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, Ohio State allowed Georgia 10 plays of at least 20 yards, the most they’ve allowed in ANY game as far back as ESPN’s data tracks (since 2004). Stetson Bennett was a perfect 4-for-4 on throws 15-plus yards downfield in the final quarter. Ohio State, though, pushed back with seven offensive plays of at least 20 yards, and Georgia had never allowed more than five in any other game last season except against LSU (11). Ohio State and LSU were the only two teams last year that scored more than 22 points and had more than 400 total yards against the Bulldogs.
How it impacts the CFP: “Obviously it eliminates the loser from the national championship, but the bigger picture is how a win against Georgia would elevate Day and quiet his critics. This would be Day’s fourth CFP appearance, and he is currently 1-3 in those CFP games with two of those losses being a last-second loss to Clemson in 2019 and last year’s one-point loss to Georgia. The third loss was the 52-24 loss to Alabama in the 2021 CFP championship game. If Day could beat Georgia this year without C.J. Stroud, it would prove he could win at the same level of his predecessor, Urban Meyer.”