Sugar Bowl 2024: Underrated Stars to Watch and Picks in Texas vs. Washington

The Sugar Bowl is expected to be a game where the star players make a majority of the big plays.

The Michael Penix Jr.-Rome Odunze combination has won plenty of games for the Washington Huskies, and they might do the same in New Orleans on New Years' Day, but they could receive some help from other underrated players in the passing attack.

The Texas Longhorns come into the College Football Playoff semifinal without starting running back Jonathan Brooks.

Quinn Ewers and his stable of wide receivers will still produce at a high rate, but the Big 12 side needs a young running back to fill Brooks' spot inside the offense.

Both teams have found a way to win games all season, with the lone exception being Texas' loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, so we should expect the highest levels from both offenses to decide the second spot in the CFB Playoff National Championship.

Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 01: Ja'Lynn Polk #2 of the Washington Huskies reacts after making a catch during the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium on December 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

It sounds wild to call a 1,000-yard wide receiver underrated, but that is what Ja'Lynn Polk feels like inside the Washington offense.

All of the talk about Washington's passing game going into the Sugar Bowl will be about the Penix-Odunze connection, and rightfully so, Odunze has 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Polk had six 100-yard performances of his own, but the last one came against the Stanford Cardinal on October 28.

Polk will be the No. 2 option in the Washington passing game, but he needs to have success on New Years' Day to open up the Longhorns secondary.

Texas will likely commit its top pass defender to Odunze, and it would not be a surprise to see some extra help over the top to prevent him from earning long gains.

Polk should have opportunities to create one-on-one mismatches, and if does, the Texas secondary could be spread thin trying to cover both of Washington's 1,000-yard wide outs.

C.J. Baxter, RB, Texas

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (#4) runs up field during the Big 12 Championship football game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys on December 02, 2023 at AT&T Studium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Texas will not have its 1,000-yard rusher Jonathan Brooks available due to a knee injury.

The workload in the rushing attack will shift to freshman C.J. Baxter, who has been a solid No. 2 to Brooks for most of the season.

Baxter ran for 595 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 117 yards.

Most of the pre-game attention on Texas will be fixated on Quinn Ewers and his wide receiver tandem of Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell.

The Longhorns will air the ball out a lot, but they need offensive balance to take down the Pac-12 champion.

Baxter needs to provide that balance with a handful of three-to-four gains to keep Texas' offense on schedule during drives.

The freshman can also be an asset for Ewers in the short passing game, and that may help the Longhorns pick up a few first downs that are not available with Worthy and Mitchell covered.

Sugar Bowl Pick

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 1: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies looks for an open receiver during the Pac-12 Championship game against the Oregon Ducks at Allegiant Stadium on December 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)

Washington 31, Texas 24

Thirteen teams tried to end Washington's season and none of them were able to slow down Michael Penix Jr.

Penix authored some incredible fourth-quarter moments late in the season to keep the Huskies' undefeated dream alive, and it is hard not to trust him in the Sugar Bowl.

Penix, Odunze and Co. will likely steal the headlines with another 30-point performance, but the Washington defense could be the real reason why the Huskies advance to the CFB Playoff National Championship.

The Huskies turned in an incredible defensive performance in the Pac-12 Championship Game against Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks.

Washington can use a similar strong first half to take Ewers out of a rhythm and allow Penix to build up an advantage that the team does not lose in the second half.