This was a remarkable moment and a remarkable piece of live television for anyone in the Eastern United States who was trying to ring in the new year while also following the thrilling Ohio State-Georgia College Football Playoff semifinal to its ultimate conclusion.
Let’s keep one point in mind here: When Ohio State took a 41-35 lead over Georgia by kicking a field goal, the chances of overtime went down to like one percent. With the score 38-35, the chances were still high. Georgia could kick a field goal and tie it. With the score 41-35, Georgia was either going to get a go-ahead seven-point tally or not score. If Georgia did get seven points, Ohio State was either going to win with a field goal, 44-42, or lose 42-41. We obviously got the latter scenario. The game was going to end in regulation, one way or another.
Meanwhile, 2022 was ending and the ball was dropping in Times Square in New York. ESPN had the playoff semifinal, while Disney-owned ABC had the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show live from New York.
Timothy Burke, who has been sharing audio and video feeds of memorable sports and TV moments for over a decade, was at his very best, putting together the different audio and video feeds of both the Ohio State-Georgia game and the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.
Some of you surely noted that the climactic Ohio State field goal and the ball dropping in New York happened pretty much at the same time.
How close together were these moments? Even closer than you might have realized. This is absolutely remarkable. If you haven’t seen this, it’s the first must-watch moment of 2023 in the East. For those of us in the West, it was the last great TV moment of 2022.
Here you go, with some explanations from Timothy Burke on the precise timing of the events: