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College football bowl season officially kicks off the weekend of Dec. 16, with the premier matchups coming later in the month beginning with the Cotton Bowl matchup between No. 8 USC Trojans and No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, Dec. 29 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The game features two of the most iconic programs in college football and will be one of the most anticipated bowl games outside of the New Year’s Six.
Date: Friday, Dec. 29
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Arlington, Texas
Venue: AT&T Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: Stream 1
Betting Odds: Ohio State -7.5 | O/U: 64.5
Ticket Info: Purchase Tickets Here
Let’s learn a little bit more about the teams ahead of the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State Buckeyes
See you at the Cotton Bowl #GoBucks #BeatUSC pic.twitter.com/kHWq31BQ5L
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 3, 2017
While the Buckeyes fell just short of a berth in the College Football Playoff, the program still had an impressive 2017 campaign.
Ohio State suffered an early setback against Oklahoma in Week 2 and then were blown out by Iowa after an emotion win over Penn State, but managed to finish the season with four straight wins and a Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes finished the year 11-2.
Leading the way for the Ohio State offense was star quarterback J.T. Barrett, who recorded 2,939 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. J.K. Dobbins was the team’s leading rusher with 1,364 yards and seven scores on 181 carries, while the offense finished ninth in the nation in points scored.
They’ll be looking to bring that high-powered offense against the Trojans.
USC Trojans
The USC fanbase is ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 9 in college football by @FanSided.
Thank you, #TrojanFamily, for your passionate support! #FightOn pic.twitter.com/8V4jzjrETC
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 12, 2017
Like the Buckeyes, USC missed out on the College Football Playoff despite winning their conference.
The Trojans finished 2017 with an 11-2 record and Pac-12 Championship.
USC was led by star quarterback Sam Darnold, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, who recorded 3,787 yards and 26 touchdowns on the year. Deontay Burnett was Darnold’s favorite target, hauling in 74 catches for 975 yards and nine scores. USC also had an impressive rushing offense led by Ronald Jones II, who carried the ball 242 times for 1,486 yards and 18 touchdowns.
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