The Ohio State Buckeyes are going to face the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night with the winner getting a battle with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the rights to reign over college football.
Ohio State will close as almost a touchdown favorite over the Longhorns which isn't surprising after the Buckeyes throttled the previously-undefeated Oregon Ducks on January 1 in the Rose Bowl.
While Texas is no easy opponent and the Cotton Bowl could truly be the battle of the best two teams in the country, most analysts are doubling down on the Buckeyes coming out on top.
USA Today took a prediction from its top analysts, and each of them predicted the Buckeyes to come out on top. While multiple columnists put down their opinions, each had the same ultimate outcome: a Buckeyes win.
Here's what one, Paul Myerberg, said.
"Ohio State won't be stopped. Texas will need to play its best game of the year (or maybe the decade, if not the generation) to upend the mighty Buckeyes. While Quinn Ewers played well late in the Peach Bowl, the Longhorns' general lack of consistency on offense will eventually help OSU pull away and score another double-digit win. Ohio State 38, Texas 27," Myerberg wrote.
The Buckeyes have the talent on both sides of the ball, but against an aggressive defense and stout Texas offensive line, it certainly will be no cakewalk for Ohio State.
That said, let's cross our fingers that the analysts will not fall short with their predictions.