By Greg Beacham The Associated Press PASADENA, Calif. — Texas will be a whole lot closer to home than Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes appear to be a whole lot closer to Atlanta.
That’s where the winner of the Cotton Bowl, which doubles as a College Football Playoff semifinal this year, will be heading next for the national championship game. But first, two powerhouse college football programs meet Jan. 10 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
No. 6 Ohio State (12-2, CFP No. 8 seed) was favored by nearly a touchdown in many early Cotton Bowl betting lines, reflecting the confidence generated by the Buckeyes’ optimization of their bountiful talent over their last two games.
Ohio State has looked like the best team in the nation since the first 12-team CFP began last month. Coach Ryan Day’s team has rebounded from two regular-season losses to rout a pair of elite opponents by a combined 45 points. Ohio State beat No.
7 Tennessee 42-17 in Columbus before jumping to an early 34-point lead in a 41-21 thrashing of top-ranked Oregon in the 111th Rose Bowl on Wednesday. “There’s kind of an intangible thing that you can’t describe (in) the chemistry that we have on this team,” Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka said. “And we just really don’t want it to end.
These are some of my best friends in the world. Obviously, no matter what we do, no matter if we keep winning, it’s going to come to an end soon. So we’re just taking in all the moments and just t.
