The Tigers are coming off their first 10-win season since 2014 and looking for their first bowl victory over the same stretch. Instead, the Buckeyes will kick off the New Year’s Six slate as a small favorite over Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. That’s just how it goes these days, a necessary element soon to be forgotten when the CFP expands to 12 teams in 2024.
The dominos fell such that Ohio State never had a case to sneak into the College Football Playoff over other top contenders, despite just one loss on the season against the current No. College Football Playoff & New Year's Six Bowl Best Bets Cotton Bowl Ohio State +1 Over Missouri
