Ohio State Buckeyes Oct 8, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) helmet and gloves during warm-ups before the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Osu22msu Kwr 14

Ohio State Buckeyes fans living in Ohio will not be able to legally wager on the Peach Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs… unless the game goes past Midnight.

Legalized sports betting doesn’t arrive in Ohio until a minute after Midnight on New Year’s Day. That’s not in time for the Buckeyes’ bowl game, which is slated to kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Nationally televised games can take more than four hours, even ones that aren’t a part of the College Football Playoff. And if the game goes past Midnight, Ohioans would be allowed to bet on the game at that point.

“If the OSU/Georgia Game goes past Midnight, it is possible that individuals could place wagers on the game,” Jessica Franks, the Director of Communications of the Ohio Casino Commission, told The Columbus Dispatch.

“However,” she said, “each sportsbook would determine whether it will accept wagers, and any offered must be in the Commission’s wager catalog.”

Oddsmakers have the Buckeyes as 6.5-point underdogs in their matchup with the Bulldogs in Atlanta next Saturday.

The Peach Bowl winner will advance to play the Fiesta Bowl winner in the 2023 CFP Final. The CFP Final will be held on January 9 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The Buckeyes and Bulldogs will follow the Fiesta Bowl — between Michigan and TCU — on New Year’s Eve.

[Columbus Dispatch]