For so much of this game, it didn't feel like Georgia was going to have a chance to fight for a back-to-back title.

Yet here we are.

With Ohio State place-kicker Noah Ruggles missing a 50-yard field goal near the end of the game, Georgia advanced to the national championship with a 42-41 victory. It was an improbable victory to say the least.

Late in the third quarter, Ohio State went ahead 38-24 thanks to a Ruggles' 25-yard field goal. With it being only a 14-point lead, Georgia was still in a great position to rally in the final period.

It did so, first with a field goal from Jack Podlesny. With 8:41 to go, Stetson Bennett launched a ball to Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs life when it didn't seem like a pulse was there for the taking.

With Georgia facing a 38-35 deficit, Ruggles extended Ohio State's lead to 41-35 with a 48-yard field goal with 2:43 left to play. Bennett then led the Bulldogs down the field and found AD Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left to play.

Although it felt like a lot of time left for Ohio State, Ruggles badly shanked a 50-yard attempt with three seconds left to go. Georgia squeaked out the Peach Bowl victory and will play TCU for the national title.

Georgia had a chance to be the first team to win back-to-back titles since Alabama did so in 2011 and 2012. TCU defeated Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl, setting up a matchup between the Bulldogs and Horned Frogs.

Bennett will have an extraordinary case for folks to build a statue of him if Georgia wins another championship.

Ruggles' miss: It's quite incredible, really. Ruggles is a good place-kicker, but to see him badly shank the potential game-winning kick was wild. The miss gave Georgia the Peach Bowl win and sent it to the national title.

Mitchell's touchdown: Mitchell has been injured for most of the year due to an issue with his ankle. However, there he was, in the game's biggest moment, catching a touchdown to tie the game at 41 all. An extra point then gave Georgia the lead at 42-41 with only 54 seconds to go.

Smith's bomb: The first moment that it appeared Georgia had a chance to win in the fourth quarter was Smith's 76-yard touchdown. Down by 11, Smith's defender fell, allowing the speedster to be even more wide open than he would have been. Smith completed the catch and helped cut Georgia's deficit at the time to three points, with help from a two-point conversion as well.

Offense: A

All things considered, Georgia scored 42 points and totaled 533 yards. If Georgia would have loss, the offense would have received zero blame for this one.

Defense: D

For as good as the defense has been all year, it had zero answer for Ohio State. It is very fortunate the final field goal shanked to the left and that the Bulldogs still have a game to play. The Buckeyes totaled 467 yards and turned the ball over zero times.

Special teams: C

Podlesny could have made things a little easier by making the two field goals he missed. But Smart made the greatest decision perhaps of his tenure by calling a timeout just before Ohio State attempted a fake punt that would have gone for a first down. Georgia survived and will play for a national title.

Offense: A-

Defense: A-

Special teams: A-