Cotton Bowl 2017: USC vs. Ohio State TV Schedule, Time and Odds
The New Year's Six kicks off on Friday night, when the USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes square off in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium, Texas.
Both teams are coming off victories in their respective conference championship games, but they were left on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans are led by quarterback Sam Darnold, who is seeing his name swirl around in NFL draft talk as the season comes to an end.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Ohio State has plenty of firepower on offense as well, led by quarterback J.T. Barrett and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber.
For as much hype as both offenses have received, the Cotton Bowl could easily be won by one of the terrific defensive players on each roster.
Date: Friday, December 29
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Odds: Ohio State (-7.5); Over/Under: 65
How USC Will Win
Before the debate about Darnold's draft status heats up in earnest, he's got at least one more game to play for the Trojans.
Darnold, who could opt to return to USC for another season, improved throughout the year as he limited his interceptions at the back end of the regular season.
The USC gunslinger has been picked off just three times in the last seven games after giving the ball away at will in September and the start of October.
However, Darnold might not be USC's best path to success on Friday night. That could be the play of Ronald Jones II, who has been lost in the national discussion regarding the best running backs in the FBS.
Jones had a fantastic November that helped propel him to a 140-yard performance against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship.
In order to let Jones run free against the Ohio State defense, Darnold will have to attempt a few deep balls in the first half, as well as keep the Buckeyes honest with play-action passes.
Darnold has a wide variety of options to choose from in the passing game, with Deontay Burnett, Michael Pittman, Tyler Vaughns and Stephen Carr being just a few of those selections. The Buckeyes won't be able to key in on every receiver, which means at least one player from that quartet should put up impressive numbers.
The defensive keys to the game for USC start with linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who was a major part of the goal-line stand that turned the tide in the Pac-12 Championship. Nwosu is a behemoth at the line of scrimmage, where he has batted down 13 passes.
Nwosu is just one of the many defensive threats Ohio State will be forced to deal with over four quarters. Linebacker Cameron Smith and defensive backs Marvell Tell and Iman Marshall are going to make an impact in some regard as well.
If Marshall and Tell close down the space between themselves and the Ohio State receivers, it will force Barrett and his running back duo to carry the load, something they might not be able to do with Smith, Nwosu and the rest of the USC front seven standing in front of them.
How Ohio State Will Win
Barrett has displayed a flair for the dramatic during his time at Ohio State, and he proved how much of a danger he could be in the fourth quarter in the come-from-behind win against Penn State on October 28.
We've also seen the worst of Barrett this season, as he threw four interceptions in the blowout defeat at the hands of Iowa a week later.
Even though he tossed for two touchdowns and 211 yards in the Big Ten Championship, Barrett was still picked off on two occasions.
Don't expect Ohio State to turn right to Barrett, as it should put an emphasis on getting Dobbins and Weber into a rhythm before the start of the second quarter.
If the Buckeyes are successful in giving Dobbins and Weber a steady dose of carries, it will provide Barrett more freedom to thrive through the air, although he'll have to navigate treacherous waters against the USC secondary.
Nick Bosa and Sam Hubbard are the keys on defense, as they must get pressure on Darnold and force him into the player we saw at the start of the season that was susceptible to committing turnovers.
Pressure from the line will open the door for the Ohio State secondary led by Damon Webb to make plays and set up a short field for Barrett and Co.
One turnover won't be enough against the caliber of opponent the Buckeyes are facing on Friday, so expect their defense to get its hands on the ball as often as it can.
Prediction
Despite what the spread suggests, the Cotton Bowl should be the closest of the non-playoff New Year's Six bowls.
The game could easily become a shootout headlined by Darnold and Barrett, but it could also be a turnover-ridden contest in which the last takeaway could be the most vital.
Ohio State 24, USC 21
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from ESPN.com and Sports Reference.
Odds obtained from Oddsshark.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
