Ohio State College Football Playoff

OSU head coach Ryan Day held a press conference at 3 p.m. Sunday to discuss the Buckeyes playoff matchup. You can watch it in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — On Sunday, the Ohio State Buckeyes found out they will play in the College Football Playoff and go to Atlanta on New Year’s Eve.

The CFP committee moved Ohio State up to No. 4 in the final rankings, which means they will face No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. for a spot in the national championship game. The other semifinal will be between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona at 4 p.m.

This year’s playoff marks the first time two Big Ten teams have made the semifinals.

2022 College Football Playoff

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State (Peach Bowl – Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.)

No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU (Fiesta Bowl – Dec. 31 at 4 p.m.)

The winners of the semifinals will meet in the national championship game on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs (13-0) are on the hunt for back-to-back national championships and it looks like they cannot be stopped. Riding a 15-game winning streak dating back to last season, head coach Kirby Smart has got Georgia playing remarkable football with a top-tier defense and high-powered offense.

This will be just the second ever meeting between the Buckeyes and Bulldogs, whose lone game came 20 years ago in the Citrus Bowl. Georgia beat OSU 21-14.

While 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 SEC matchups.

Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett has been playing efficient football all season and had his best game of the season on Saturday with four touchdown throws and just six incompletions in the 50-30 victory over LSU in the SEC championship game.

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ second-ranked scoring offense will have its work cut out for them against one of if not the best defense in college football. The crowd will also likely favor Georgia with Athens just a one hour drive from Atlanta.

Dec. 31 will mark the first time in program history Ohio State is playing in the Peach Bowl.

Ohio State’s path to the playoff became more complex after its 45-23 loss to Michigan on Nov. 26 prevented them from playing for the Big Ten Championship. Despite the loss, OSU got the help it needed over the weekend from other teams to clear a path with Utah defeating USC in the Pac-12 title game on Friday and TCU taking its first loss this season to Kansas State in a 31-28 overtime defeat Saturday in the Big 12 championship game.

With Georgia and Michigan’s wins in the SEC and Big Ten title games, respectively, those two grabbed the top two spots while TCU and OSU nabbed the final two places. Alabama and Tennessee were the first two teams who missed out.

Before the selection show, the Associated Press poll was released where the Buckeyes moved up one spot to No. 4, behind Georgia, Michigan, and TCU.

Five other Ohio teams made FBS bowl games: Miami, Toledo, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Bowling Green.