Ohio State has been able to shut down RPOs and easy throws by opponents offenses throughout the playoffs. That should continue against Texas as Ohio State has completely changed their gameplan since their loss to Michigan and have become a machine during these playoffs, mowing teams down. They are running new schemes and are creating explosive runs and have become virtually unstoppable. Both have top defenses so this game is going to be more physical, but taking a closer look at Texas, the Longhorns have played the weaker strength of schedule and haven’t played against more of the top QBs in the league that Ohio State has faced. This will be the best offense that Texas will face this season and they aren’t going to be able to catch up if they fall behind. They struggled with Clemson and more recently with Arizona State and almost lost that game. Meanwhile, QB Will Howard has completed 74.5% of his passes for 630 yards and 5 TDs in the last two games. When Ohio State played the two better defenses they’ve seen in Tennessee and Oregon, Will Howard was averaging 11.5 yards per pass attempt. QB Quinn Ewers is going to struggle to move the ball against the Buckeyes and the Buckeyes will win and cover this game by at least a touchdown.

Best bet: lay the points with Ohio State.