No. 4 Ohio State is back in the College Football Playoff after a one-year absence.
The Buckeyes benefitted from USC's loss in the Pac-12 championship game to take the final spot in this year's four-team playoff. Ohio State did not play in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State will play No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
THE CASE FOR: Georgia | Michigan | TCU
Here is a closer look at Ohio State's playoff history, and the reasons why the Buckeyes will (or won't) win a national championship in 2022:
Ohio State's College Football Playoff history
Ohio State is making its fifth College Football Playoff appearance, and this will be the third under Day.
The Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff in 2014 under Urban Meyer. Day led the Buckeyes to the CFP championship game in 2020. This is just the second meeting against Georgia. The Bulldogs beat the Buckeyes 21-14 in the 1993 Citrus Bowl.
| YEAR | RANK | RESULTS |
| 2014 | 4 | Beat No. 1 Alabama 42-35, Beat No. 2 Oregon 42-20 |
| 2016 | 3 | Lost to No. 2 Clemson 31-0 |
| 2019 | 2 | Lost to No. 3 Clemson 29-23 |
| 2020 | 3 | Beat No. 2 Clemson 49-28, Lost to No. 1 Alabama 52-24 |
| 2022 | 4 | vs. No. 1 Georgia |
Ohio State vs. Georgia odds
According to BetMGM.com, Ohio State is a 7-point underdog in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl matchup against Georgia. The Buckeyes are 5-7 ATS this season. The Bulldogs are 5-6-1 ATS this season.
Why Ohio State will win national title
Day said the Buckeyes would be a "dangerous team” if they got in the CFP, and he's right. Ohio State is a heavyweight who had its credentials questioned after a 45-23 loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale.
Ohio State is loaded and motivated, and that's the combination that led to its last national championship run in 2014. Quarterback C.J. Stroud leads an offense that averages 44.5 points per game, and he's throwing to a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba – who missed most of the season with a hamstring injury – return for the CFP? The off time also will allow running backs Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson to heal.
What about the defense? The Buckeyes allowed 19.2 points per game under new coordinator Jim Knowles, and was solid with the exception of one bad half against Michigan. It's not often Ohio State gets to play the underdog card. LSU scored 30 points on Georgia, and the Buckeyes have a better offense.
With a chance to dethrone the national champions in Atlanta, expect Day to use it and call an aggressive game against the Bulldogs. If Ohio State wins that one, then they could be favored against either Michigan or TCU.
Why Ohio State won't win national title
Georgia has more five-star talent than Michigan, and their running game could be just as problematic for the Buckeyes. The Bulldogs average 207 rushing yards per game, and Stetson Bennett did not take a sack in Georgia's last six games. If the Buckeyes cannot get pressure against him, then the coverage will have problems against Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington.
This also is the most-talented defense Ohio State will face all season. Jalen Carter is a mismatch in the middle, and the Bulldogs have a talented secondary. Stroud will have to be at his absolute best for the Buckeyes to win. If Ohio State cannot run the ball effectively in this game, then they will be in trouble.
That would be a challenge, and so would a rematch with Michigan. The Buckeyes have spent an entire season talking about "toughness." It does not get much tougher than going through the Bulldogs and Wolverines. Can they really win those games back to back?
