Kirby Smart 'excited' to face Ohio State in playoff

No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State are set to face off Saturday in the College Football Playoff in what is expected to be a tightly contested matchup between two powerhouse college football programs.

Despite the reputation both teams have coming in, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart deferred the attention away from both program’s lore. Rather, he wants the attention solely focused on the athletes on the field that got both teams into the postseason to begin with.

“I’m excited for our kids and our opportunity. The two brands of both programs speak for themselves. I think everybody in the country knows the kind of football they’ve played and we’ve played here recently. It’s really about them. It’s not about us as coaches,” Smart said. “It’s about the opportunity for the players to go out and play in what’s going to be an incredible environment, and that’s what you choose to go to Ohio State or Georgia for is to play in games like this.”

When headlining the talent on both teams, it would be remiss not to mention the outstanding talent set to matchup at quarterback during Saturday’s Peach Bowl – Georgia’s Stetson Bennett and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. Both were in New York City earlier this month as Heisman Trophy finalists following their respective outstanding seasons.

Neither would end up winning the award, but the invitation to NYC and now a trip to the CFP has solidified both as members of college football’s current Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks.

These two historic squads have only battled once before (1993) with Georgia emerging the victor. Now, the Buckeyes will look to even the series and advance to the College Football Playoffs National Championship game against the winner of No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU.

Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Buckeyes in the 2022 Peach Bowl is set for 8 p.m. ET live from Atlanta with ESPN carrying the national broadcast.