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College GameDay was on hand once again Friday evening ahead of the Cotton Bowl matchup between Texas and Ohio State. The game is being played in Texas at the home of the Dallas Cowboys with the winner advancing to the national championship game.
So far, the College Football Playoff journeys of these two teams have been very different. It sets up for a major head coaching battle between Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian.
For Texas, the Longhorns needed some big plays late to pull away from a spirited comeback effort by Clemson. After that, a Peach Bowl quarterfinal against Arizona State saw Texas blow a 4th-quarter lead and miss multiple field goals before swinging the game with clutch touchdowns in a double-overtime victory.
Meanwhile, Ohio State has looked like a Playoff juggernaut after blowing out Tennessee and top-seeded Oregon. The Buckeyes have reached 40 points in back-to-back CFP games since the ugly loss to Michigan and are looking to show their roster is truly the best in the country.
As kickoff arrives, here is how the College GameDay crew picked the Cotton Bowl matchup:
Desmond Howard: Ohio State “Will Howard never beat Texas when he was at Kansas State… but I think he’s got some bad cats behind him (this time).”
Nick Saban: Ohio State. “To me, the most physical team is going to win, and whichever quarterback plays the best and takes care of the ball. Ohio State has shown that in the Playoff so far.”
Pat McAfee: Ohio State. “I love the people of Texas… with that being said: This Longhorn goes up, but I’m from the North.”
Lee Corso: Texas.
Kirk Herbstreit: Did not pick (calling the game)
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
