OSU football has rare underdog role in CFP semifinal vs. Georgia

Ohio State is the underdog in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia. The game will be played at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on New Year's Eve. Georgia is defending champions and the defending national champions. Georgia won both games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season. Ohio State was favored in 25 consecutive games until losing to Alabama in last year's championship game. They beat Clemson as a 7.5-point underdog last week.

OSU football has a chance to play in the CFP semifinal against Georgia. The team missed the Big Ten championship game and was idle last week. They went to practice last Wednesday and continued on Thursday. Day saw the practices as an opportunity to prepare for the possibility of landing in a playoff.

Day believes that the winning margin of victory in the College Football Playoff is 40 points. Ohio State lost 45-23 to Michigan in their last game. It was only the second time in Day's tenure that they didn't score a touchdown after halftime. Since the postseason format went into effect in 2014, winning teams in semifinals and finals have averaged 39 points per game, according to Day.

Georgia and Ohio State have only met in the 1993 Citrus bowl. In the 2014 College Football Playoff, Ohio state beat Alabama 42-35. Georgia's coach Kirby Smart was the defensive coordinator at Alabama.