Ohio State-Georgia picks: Predictions with spread, total for Peach Bowl, CFP Semifinal

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs meet in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 31 in Atlanta, Georgia. The game kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET, and will air on ESPN.

Ohio State (11-1, 8-1 B1G) dealt with a great deal of injuries to key offensive players this season, and ended the year with a brutal home loss against Big Ten rival Michigan. Wins over Notre Dame and Penn State highlighted the Buckeyes' schedule this season, and quarterback CJ Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist for the second season in a row. The Buckeyes will be short a top WR and RB in the semifinal.

Georgia (13-0, 8-0 SEC) are somehow repeating their 2021 season despite losing several star players to the 2022 NFL Draft. With Stetson Bennett IV still at the helm, the Bulldogs continue to roll over just about every opponent, and crushed LSU in the SEC title game. They showed signs of weakness in certain too-close matchups, but they remained undefeated. Georgia is on the hunt for a back-to-back national title.

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Georgia -6.5
Total: 62.5
Moneyline: Georgia -255, OSU +215

Opening line: Georgia -7
Opening total: 60.5

Key players that have opted-out, injuries for Peach Bowl

RB TreVeyon Henderson (injury, out)
OG Matt Jones (injury, questionable)
LB Teradja Mitchell (transfer portal)
RB Evan Pryor (injury, out)
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (injury, out)
RB Miyan Williams (injury, questionable)

TE Arik Gilbert (undisclosed)
OT Warren McClendon (injury, questionable)
WR Ladd McConkey (injury, questionable)
DT Bill Norton (Transfer portal)
S Dan Jackson (injury, out)
WR AD Mitchell (injury, probable)
OG Tate Ratledge (injury, probable)
EDGE Nolan Smith (injury, out)

The Pick

The Bulldogs may have stumbled this season at unexpected moments, but when they faced a big-game scenario (see: Oregon, LSU, Tennessee), they came in prepared to crush their opponents. We can expect the same here. Ohio State, on the other hand, crumbled in their biggest game of the season, and without TreVeyon Henderson, their run game is going to be missing a big asset. Georgia should be able to outmatch the Buckeyes in just about every part of the game and cover the spread.

  
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