Booger McFarland predicts Texas to upset Ohio State, advance to National Championship

From an odds perspective, the College Football Playoff has been quite chalky. This would be a good sign for Ohio State heading into Friday’s Cotton Bowl against Texas, currently being favored by just under a touchdown. Many out there are predicting the Buckeyes will play for, if not win, the national championship.

But ESPN’s Booger McFarland is pulling a Lee Corso “Not so fast my friend.” He thinks Texas playing in its own backyard is an underrated storyline, especially after hearing a ton of outside noise in the game’s build-up.

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“I’m gonna take you back to my hometown of Winnsboro, Louisiana, and my old football coach said, ‘Son, it’s a poor dog that won’t fight in his own backyard.’ This game is in Texas,” McFarland said Thursday on ESPN’s PTI. “Texas is an underdog. All week long, everybody’s told the Longhorns, ‘This team is so good, you guys can’t beat them. Look at Jeremiah Smith, he’s the best player in America.’

“I honestly think Steve Sarkisian is going to have the Longhorns coming out and they are going to be furious, they are going to be upset and they are going to play at a fever pitch. And oh, by the way, they are just talented enough to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes.”

Ohio State’s roster has been discussed well before the 2024 season began. Ryan Day has built a monster on paper, with Urban Meyer once calling it the best roster he has ever seen. Recent results have shown the Buckeyes are quite dominant as well, taking down Tennessee and Oregon.

Texas is no slouch, though. It’s a group full of blue-chip players and multiple former five-star prospects. Sarkisian has brought plenty of talent to Austin to compete at the highest level.

McFarland likes for the Longhorns to get the job done but is not willing to call it an upset.

“I know Ohio State is playing at a high level the last two weeks,” McFarland said. “But let’s not forget, we saw Ohio State go up and down throughout the regular season. I think this is going to be the biggest upset so far. I think the Longhorns knock off the Buckeyes.

“And people are going to say it’s an upset, but let me tell you right here. This team is as talented as the Buckeyes, and Steve Sarkisian is one of the better coaches in the country.”