Ohio State Buckeyes Receive Major Cotton Bowl Prediction Against Texas
The Ohio State Buckeyes are just one win away from reaching the national championship showdown. However, that one game will feature a very tough matchup in the Cotton Bowl against the Texas Longhorns.
Beating Texas will be no easy task. Ohio State has been playing at a very high level over the last two games and will need to continue playing that way in this matchup.
Ryan Day has had a great game plan in place throughout the two College Football Playoff games the Buckeyes have played thus far. Add in the fact that the team has executed them to near perfection and the final score results make sense.
Heading into the Cotton Bowl, fans should expect to see another elite game plan. The players simply have to continue taking care of their individual roles and executing and they should pull out a win.
That being said, notable college football analyst Paul Finebaum has revealed his prediction for the game. He thinks that the two teams could make a fun game out of it, but he clearly favors Ohio State.
“I think Texas is formidable, but that first quarter will be fascinating to watch,” Finebaum said. “If Ohio State is struggling, then we will have a game. Otherwise, watch out. Today, I would take Notre Dame and Ohio State because they've been the most impressive. Ohio State doesn’t have to play their absolute best, they just have to play consistently and use the talent that they have.”
Finebaum has been notoriously unkind when it comes to his Buckeyes coverage. Seeing him make this prediction has made it clear that Ohio State is the favorite coming in.
Defensively, the Buckeyes will need to keep doing what they have been doing over the last two games. Putting pressure on Quinn Ewers will be a major key to victory. If they can pressure the quarterback, they'll be in a strong position.
Will Howard and the offense simply need to keep making plays. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka need to play well and the ground game will need to be consistent.
Ohio State has all of the pieces in place to win a national championship. If they play to their full ability, that is exactly what should end up happening.
The stage has now been set for the Cotton Bowl between the Buckeyes and Texas. It is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 10 and can be watched on ESPN.
Hopefully, Ohio State will come ready to play the same way they did in the Rose Bowl. If that happens, it should be another fun game for Buckeyes fans to watch.