College Football

Ohio State vs. Georgia best bet, odds and how to bet

Updated Dec. 31, 2022 6:43 p.m. ET

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The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to Atlanta to face the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal.

When the Buckeyes lost to Michigan in Week 13, they also lost their chance to play for the Big Ten championship. But even though 11-1 Ohio State sat idle in Week 14, USC's huge loss to Utah in the Pac-12 title game made way for the Buckeyes to move back into the top four. 

Georgia, on the other hand, finished its regular season with a perfect 12-0 record and defeated LSU 50-30 in the SEC Championship Game to improve to 13-0 for the season. 

Will Ohio State get the win against UGA in Atlanta? Or will the Dawgs keep rolling with a perfect record on their home-away-from-home turf?

Here's everything you need from a betting perspective on the game between Ohio State and Georgia, from the point spread, moneyline, total Over/Under and expert pick (odds via FOX Bet).

Read RJ Young's full list of 2022-23 bowl game predictions and odds

No. 4 Ohio State vs No. 1 Georgia (8 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 31, ESPN)

Point spread: Georgia -5.5 (Georgia favored to win by more than 5.5 points, otherwise Ohio State covers)
Moneyline: Georgia -278 favorite to win (bet $10 to win $13.60 total); Ohio State +205 underdog to win (bet $10 to win $30.50 total)
Total scoring Over/Under: 62.5 points scored by both teams combined

Pick via Gambling Analyst Sam Panayotovich:

Why did this line open just under a touchdown?

It was interesting that basically every American sportsbook hung Georgia -6.5 and not -7 from jump street. I’ve discussed the significance of opening -6.5 many times here on FOX Sports. Long story short, lines that originate at -6.5 have built-in respect for the underdog, while -7.5 is more respect for the favorite.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled against pressure this year. Stylistically, Georgia doesn’t bring much heat. Dawgs head coach Kirby Smart has redesigned his "spread defense" with ample speed and skill on the back end to negate talented wide receivers.

Thing is, I’m not so sure that giving Stroud extra time to key through his progressions is a fantastic idea. Stroud isn’t much of a runner, but he’s lethal when with time to scan the field, and he’s very accurate on the move.

This reminds me a whole lot of when Ohio State was catching almost a touchdown against "unbeatable" Clemson with Trevor Lawrence, and the Buckeyes won the game outright to advance to the national title game.

I made this game around Georgia -3.5, so I’ll take 6.5.

PICK: Ohio State (+6.5 at FOX Bet at the time of pick) to lose by fewer than 6.5 points (or win outright)

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Sam Panayotovich