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There are three games left in the college football season: the two semifinals - the Orange Bowl between Penn State (6) and Notre Dame (7) and the Cotton Bowl between Texas (5) and Ohio State (8) - and of course the final game, the National Championship, which will be played on Monday, January 20. This was the debut season for the new 12-team playoff format, but there will be plenty to talk about for next season, as the top four ranked teams that had a bye week all lost their games. As a result, the four teams that won in the first round will move on, with Ohio State remaining the favorite to win the championship, something they haven't done since 2014.
Longhorns Must Learn from Georgia's Defeat
In the 39-31 Peach Bowl win over Arizona State in two overtimes, the Longhorns blew a 16-point lead in the second half, and one of the key moments was a terrible interception by Quinn Ewers that gave Arizona State the momentum they needed to spark the comeback. However, Ewers also carried the offense with two ing touchdowns in overtime. Ewers finished with solid numbers - 320 yards, completing 20 of 30 es - but those mistakes must be completely avoided against Ohio State who are on a roll and defeated top-seeded Oregon, a team that was undefeated on the season
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That said, head coach Steve Sarkisian shouldn't act on impulse if things don't go as expected and replace Ewers with Arch Manning. He needs to learn from what happened at Georgia, which lost starting quarterback Carson Beck to injury and forced Gunner Stockton into his first career start against Notre Dame in the playoffs, resulting in a 23-10 loss with a completely ineffective offense. While Manning has more experience and skill than Stockton, putting him in that kind of game probably wouldn't help his career. In addition, Ewers needs to showcase his full talent in order to secure a high draft pick in the NFL Draft.
This will be the third time in history that the Longhorns and Buckeyes have met, with Texas leading the series 2-1. The last time they met was in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, where the Horns, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Colt McCoy, won 24-21. This is undoubtedly the marquee matchup, though, and I personally don't see a clear favorite. My pick for National Champion since the beginning of the season has been the Longhorns, so I have to go with them as the winner. But whichever team comes out on top in this matchup will face a tough challenge against either Penn State or Notre Dame.