What to know about Ohio State’s bowl game vs. Missouri, New Year’s Six games

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The end of bowl season is near, which means the biggest games of the college football postseason are upon us.

Kicking off the New Year’s Six schedule is Ohio State, which will face Missouri on Friday night in the Cotton Bowl. It’s the first time since 1998 the schools are meeting, with OSU looking to see how its younger guys play while Mizzou has a big opportunity against a national powerhouse.

Among the five other New Year’s Six games will be the two College Football Playoff semifinals on Monday, with Michigan the No. 1 seed.

Here is what to know for Ohio State’s game of 2023 and the rest of the New Year’s Six.

Who is playing for Ohio State?

Ohio State fans will keep a close eye on quarterback Devin Brown, who is set to make his first career start after Kyle McCord left for Syracuse. Who Brown can throw and hand off to is still up in the air.

All of the Buckeyes star offensive and defensive players have traveled with the team. Among those are receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., running back TreVeyon Henderson and tight end Cade Stover. Henderson and Stover have announced they will play, while Harrison has not officially opted out.

Defensively, safety Lathan Ransom is not playing due to injury, while defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg traveled with the team and have not opted out.

Missouri’s impressive season

The Tigers are trying to make a dent into the Southeastern Conference and could enhance their standing if they beat Ohio State.

Missouri had its best season in nearly a decade, going 10-2 and including wins over Kansas State, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and a 49-39 loss to LSU (49-39) and a nine-point loss to Georgia.

Leading the Tigers has been All-America running back Cody Schrader, who ran for nearly 1,500 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Schrader is part of an offensive trio from the St. Louis area that includes quarterback Brady Cook and receiver Luther Burden, who lead a top-30 scoring offense.

Mizzou will be missing two key defensive players to injury in cornerback Ennis Rakestraw and linebacker Ty’Ron Harper but will be confident against a quarterback making his first start. The Tigers last played in one of the New Year’s Six bowls in 2013, when they beat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

Peach Bowl (Mississippi vs. Penn State)

New Year’s Six action will resume at noon Saturday in Atlanta with the bowl game Ohio State played in last season and lost to Georgia 42-41 in a College Football Playoff semifinal.

Penn State was nearly flawless all season with a top-tier defense but once again could not get past Michigan or Ohio State. Quarterback Drew Allar will hope to lead the Nittany Lions to consecutive bowl wins, something they have not done since 2007.

Representing the SEC will be Ole Miss, which beat Tulane and LSU and lost only to SEC finalists Alabama and Georgia. The Rebels have a top-20 scoring offense led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and are hoping to give coach Lane Kiffin his first New Year’s Six win.

Orange Bowl (Georgia vs. Florida State)

The game at 4 p.m. Saturday in Miami will feature Florida State, the 13-0 ACC champion, against Georgia, the two-time defending national champion.

The Seminoles enter the game feeling cheated out of a playoff spot, becoming the first undefeated Power Five school to not be selected. With star quarterback Jordan Travis hurt and backup Tate Rodemaker heading to the transfer portal, Florida State will look to freshman Brock Glenn.

Georgia will be missing stars such as tight end Brock Bowers but still enters with a strong squad for its first nonplayoff bowl game since 2020. Because of the Seminoles’ quarterback issues and the Bulldogs’ roster, Georgia is a 17.5-point favorite.

Fiesta Bowl (Liberty vs. Oregon)

New Year’s Day action will start in Glendale, Arizona, as Oregon takes on Liberty (13-0) at 1 p.m. Monday.

The Ducks were on the cusp of making the playoff when they faced Washington in the final Pac-12 title game. After losing to the Huskies for the second time this season, Oregon (11-2) will play its last game as a Pac-12 school before moving to the Big Ten.

Oregon is heavily favored against Liberty, which won the Conference USA title in its maiden season in the conference. The school in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been an FBS member for six seasons and is now representing the Group of Five conferences in the New Year’s Six.

Playoff semifinal at Rose Bowl (Alabama vs. Michigan)

The Buckeyes had their sights set on Pasadena, California. Instead, their archrivals, the Wolverines, will take on Alabama at 5 p.m. Monday.

The Wolverines’ win over Ohio State in Nov. catapulted them to the No. 1 seed in the playoff despite all the controversy surrounding the program during its sign-stealing scandal. Michigan has never won a playoff game and hasn’t won a national title since 1997. Despite being the top seed, the Wolverines face maybe the toughest team in the country.

Alabama looked down and out after losing to Texas in Week 2. But the Crimson Tide ran the table, upset Georgia to win the SEC championship and got that final spot into the semifinals over Florida State.

Playoff semifinal at Sugar Bowl (Texas vs. Washington)

The second semifinal is expected to be high-scoring, with No. 3 Texas facing No. 2 Washington at 8:45 p.m. Monday

Washington looked dominant through the first half of the season behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr. but has had some close calls since then. At 13-0, this is the Huskies’ first playoff game since 2016 as they try to earn the Pac-12 one last national championship before the conference disbands.

On the other side is Texas, which is playing its maiden playoff game after a 12-1 season capped by the program’s final Big 12 title. The Longhorns are led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, who transferred to Texas from Ohio State after the 2021 season. It has been nearly 20 years since Texas’ last national championship, the iconic Rose Bowl win in 2006 over USC. Ewers will hope to recreate the same magic Vince Young did during that championship run.

Both schools will be moving conferences next season with Washington heading to the Big Ten and Texas to the SEC.

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