Kirby Smart excited to be playing close to home crowd in Atlanta for CFP semifinal

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said he was excited for his team to compete once again in front of a friendly crowd at Mercedes Benz in Atlanta, however, he wasn’t going to take anything away from Ohio State fans.

During his press conference with Ryan Day previewing the Peach Bowl playoff game, Smart credited the Buckeyes fanbase and their fervor for popping up wherever the team plays.

“The field is the exact same length as any other field we play them on,” Smart said. “The ticket sales, Ohio State, as I understand it, has never had a shortage of alumni base or money because I go against Ryan all the time in recruiting. I know how strong their alumni base is and how proud they are of it.

“So I don’t look for it as — it’s home as in the state of Georgia, but the fan bases both turn out. They both have great fan bases, and I think that’s great for the Peach Bowl and great for the state of Georgia.”

Unlike the SEC title game in Atlanta, the bowl game prep involves a full week of the team practicing in the big city.

“Once you get to the venue, it’s different than when you’re coming in for a game and kids have been in classes and they just fly in for the game,” Smart said. “It’s different when you’re there for a whole week. We’ll practice at Mercedes Benz. They’ll practice at Mercedes Benz. It’s not like you’re going to walk in there and not have seen the place.”

Georgia opens as favorite for Peach Bowl

After much anticipation for the College Football Playoff throughout the final weeks of the season, the full field is finally here.

In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State will battle with a spot in the National Championship on the line. The opening betting lines revealed clear favorites for both CFP Semifinal matchups.

According to Caesars Sports, Georgia opens at a seven-point favorite over Ohio State.

In the other CFP semifinal, No. 2 Michigan is a nine-point favorite over No. 3 TCU.

Georgia again had a perfect regular season, and the Bulldogs were able to secure the SEC Championship on Saturday with a 50-30 victory over LSU. Ohio State was perfect up until the regular season finale against Michigan, where the Buckeyes fell 45-23 in The Game.

Last season, Georgia was undefeated in the regular season until the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed and defeated Michigan, then Alabama, to secure the national title.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.