The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) and No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (13-0) meet Saturday in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in a College Football Playoff semifinal. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Ohio State vs. Georgia odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
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Things looked bleak for the Buckeyes after getting boat-raced at home by bitter rival Michigan 45-23 on Nov. 26. However, USC lost in the Pac-12 Championship Game to open the playoff door back for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have won 11 of 12 games, while scoring 43 or more points in 9 of the 11 contests. Ohio State has cashed the Over in 3 in a row, and 9 of the last 10 games overall. OSU is just 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games.
Ohio State will be without WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has dealt with a hamstring injury since September and opted out of this game to get ready for the NFL Draft. RB TreVeyon Henderson is also sidelined after having foot surgery in late November.
The defending national champion Bulldogs will be right at home in Atlanta, just a little over 75 minutes from Athens. UGA posted a 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC Championship Game, and the offense has scored 33 or more points in 10 of 13 games overall this season.
The Over has cashed in back-to-back games for UGA for the 1st time this season, and the 30 points allowed to LSU was a season high. Georgia has managed to allow just 12.8 PPG, 2nd in the country, while yielding just 77.0 rushing yards per game (No. 1). If UGA has an Achilles’ heel on D, it’s in the passing game, yielding 215.1 yards per game to check in 51st.
While defense is usually talked about 1st for Georgia, Heisman finalist QB Stetson Bennett IV and the offense had a strong season, averaging 39.2 PPG to rank No. 11 overall. The Dawgs racked up 491.8 total yards per game to rank 7th in the nation, while showing nice balance with 284.5 passing yards per game (19th) and 207.3 rushing yards per game (18th).
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Ohio State vs. Georgia odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:17 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Ohio State +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Georgia -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Ohio State +6.5 (-110) | Georgia -6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 62 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Ohio State vs. Georgia picks and predictions
Prediction
Georgia 37, Ohio State 32
Moneyline
Georgia (-250) will cost you 2 1/2 times your potential return, but that’s a bit on the risky side due to Ohio State’s (+200) potent pass attack.
The Buckeyes will have to do without JSN at receiver, but there is still plenty of talent with WRs Marvin Harrison Jr. (72-1,157-12), Emeka Egbuka (66-1,039-9) and Julian Fleming (29-462-6) bolting downfield to haul in missiles from QB C.J. Stroud (66.2%, 3,340 yards, 37 TD, 6 INT).
PASS.
Against the spread
OHIO STATE +6.5 (-110) has the passing game to hang, and RB Miyan Williams has plenty of ability to at least keep the Georgia -6.5 (-110) defense honest.
In addition, the money is coming in at nearly a 4-to-1 clip on Georgia, and anytime the public is that high on 1 side, it’s a great idea to go the other way.
While Ohio State is just 1-5 ATS in the last 6 neutral-site games, and 0-3-1 ATS in the last 4 against winning teams, Georgia is 3-8 ATS in the last 11 games following a cover.
Over/Under
OVER 62 (-110) is the lean, but bet it lightly.
The Over has cashed in 9 of the last 10 games overall for Ohio State, while hitting at a 6-0 mark in the last 6 against teams with a winning overall record.
While the Over trends are impressive for Ohio State, the Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 outside of the SEC, and 10-4-2 in the past 16 neutral-site games. Still, we should see plenty of pass offense in this game, and that usually means a lot of clock stoppages, and more time for scoring.
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