Ohio State College Football Playoff Trends, What they say for Georgia
Georgia and Ohio State are set to face off in this year's Peach Bowl in the college football playoff for a spot in the national championship game. This will be Georgia's third playoff appearance while Ohio State will be making its fifth. Both teams have experience playing on the big stage so what can the Bulldogs take away from the Buckeyes' previous playoff games?
Ohio State has a 2-2 record in semifinal games. After losing their previous two, they won their most recent playoff game in 2020 against Clemson. Coincidentally, both of Ohio State's semifinal losses also came against the Tigers and there are trends in both of those losses that could help Georgia surpass them this upcoming weekend.
The first major takeaway is that Clemson managed to force multiple turnovers in those games. Both JT Barrett and Justin Fields threw two interceptions which helped the Tigers win the turnover battle in both matchups. CJ Stroud does not have a history of turning the ball over as he has only thrown six interceptions this season, but if Georgia can find their way into gaining an extra possession, their odds of winning will only increase.
Another area of the game that Clemson dominated was on third down and not on the offensive side. In both games, Ohio State converted less than 40 percent of the time on third down, and in 2016 they converted just three times out of 14 attempts on third down. This is good news for Georgia as their opponents are converting on third down just 26 percent of the time this season, ranking third in the nation.
Ohio State will be rolling in one of the nation's best offenses and it will be crucial for Georgia to not only get the Buckeyes into third-down situations but getting them off the field when those opportunities come up.
Another trend that showed up in both Ohio State's college football playoff losses was the number of penalties thrown their way. The Buckeyes were charged with eight penalties and exceeded 70 yards in flags in both games against the Tigers. The Bulldogs have remained a pretty disciplined football team this season and they will need things to stay that way in the Peach Bowl.
The game plan seems fairly simple for Georgia based on the trends that Ohio State has shown in its playoff games. Win the turnover battle, force the Buckeyes into third-down situations and play a clean game. It is easier said than done, especially in a game where both teams' season is on the line but if the Bulldogs can accomplish all three of those things, they'll be in a good position to make it back to the national championship game.
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