Ohio State May Be the Underdog, but It Has a Lot to Prove

Ohio State is playing in the Peach Bowl semifinal against Georgia. The Buckeyes have been favored in 98 of their last 104 games. They have won three times and lost twice as underdogs. Their 2014 national championship was an upset of Alabama. They would like to repeat the same scenario in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.

Ohio State and Michigan are playing in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Michigan won the last game by 22 points. Georgia beat Michigan 34-11 in last year's playoff semifinals. The winning team in this game has scored 31 or more points 7 times in CFP era. The team that makes it to the national championship has won 7 of the past 12 times. In the other two cases, the team which makes the championship was upset by an even stronger team. Ohio State is trying to keep its championship hopes alive. It is also aware that making the playoff carries with it the specter of bitter defeat.