Jeremiah SmithIan Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Stakes: Winner advances to CFP National Championship
When: Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) in Arlington, Texas
I told anyone who asked that I believed the winner of the Rose Bowl would take home the national title. After seeing how Ohio State smoked, controlled and annihilated top-ranked Oregon, I’m certainly not budging from that opinion.
So, yeah, sorry in advance, Texas fans.
For many weeks, I’ve trusted the Longhorns because of their defense—and I’m undoubtedly not alone in that regard. In the CFP, however, Texas has showed more vulnerability than is comforting before meeting a surging Ohio State offense in the Cotton Bowl.
Texas is a strong team, clearly. You don’t reach the CFP semifinals without being that. Trying to run up the middle of the Horns defense is usually a foolish endeavor, and Quinn Ewers’ best moments are still very good. Texas also has a version of home-field advantage here—at least through the lens of proximity, not necessarily ticket sales.
Nevertheless, if OSU matches how it’s performed in the first two rounds of the playoff, especially on offense, this one might be lopsided. I’m not going that far, but Ohio State is a deserving favorite.
Prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 20
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