When Ohio State walked off its home field on Nov. 26 after a humiliating 22-point defeat to Michigan, it had no reason to expect another chance at the College Football Playoff. But the dominoes fell just right for the Buckeyes to land the No. 4 seed, a fortunate reprieve for a team that would have had to consider this season a failure without a chance at the national title.
“It took a different road to get here, but we’re here,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said.
The only problem with taking the wayward path, though, is that it has led Ohio State into a semifinal against defending national champion Georgia, the top seed, that will be played in the Bulldogs’ home away from home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Facing Georgia anywhere this season would be remarkably difficult. Despite losing a record 15 players to the NFL draft, the Bulldogs have pretty much been just as dominant, playing just one close game all season and capping off their SEC title with a 50-30 walloping of LSU. But trying to beat them in that building, where they enjoy a massive crowd advantage, is a next-level challenge that only Alabama (2017, 2021 seasons) and LSU (2019) have been able to overcome.
“When you get to this point, this is what you’re going to do,” Day said. “You’re going to be in these type of environments. If you said at the beginning of the year you get a chance to be in the CFP and play in Atlanta against Georgia down there, defending national champs, of course you’d cut…
