Ohio State coach Ryan Day to preview playoff semifinal against Georgia
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- It's playoff week for the Buckeyes, with Ohio State in Atlanta to face No. 1 Georgia on New Year's Eve in the Peach Bowl for a spot in the national championship game.
At 2 p.m. Monday, coach Ryan Day will preview the semifinal and the Buckeyes' first game against the Bulldogs in nearly 20 years. You can watch the news conference live in the video player above.
Day's comments are being made a month after Ohio State last played, a 45-23 loss to No. 2 Michigan at Ohio Stadium. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes still found their way into the playoff thanks to USC's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game.
The Buckeyes and Bulldogs will play in the second semifinal, expected to kick off about 8 p.m. Michigan and TCU will go first, playing in the Fiesta Bowl at 4 p.m. Saturday.
In the last 30 days, the Buckeyes learned that receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson will not play in the postseason. Multiple players also received individual honors, with quarterback C.J. Stroud going to New York as a Heisman finalist and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. being named a unanimous all-American.
The Bulldogs (13-0) are on the hunt for back-to-back national championships, something never accomplished in the playoff era. Riding a 15-game winning streak dating to last season, coach Kirby Smart has Georgia playing remarkable football, with a top-tier defense and high-powered offense.
Although undefeated, the Bulldogs haven’t rolled over each opponent like it did last season. With close wins over Missouri (26-22), Tennessee (27-13), and Kentucky (16-6), Georgia showed its ability to conquer adversity and grind out results in tough Southeastern Conference games.
Ohio State will be vying for its second national championship game appearance in the last three seasons. Its most recent college football final came in the 2020 season, when the Buckeyes fell to Alabama 52-24 in south Florida, their last game against an SEC team.
The lone meeting between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs came in the 1993 Citrus Bowl, a 21-14 win for Georgia.