10 reasons to watch the Cotton Bowl

It’s not the College Football Playoff, but it’s pretty close. It is a throwback to 30, 40 years ago when the teams regularly played in the Rose Bowl.

This time it will play out at Jerry World, aka AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It’s USC vs. Ohio State. It’s a matchup of two of the blue bloods in college football. It’s conference champions going head-to-head. It’s two standout quarterbacks on display in an iconic stadium.

There’s plenty of reasons to watch when the Buckeyes and Trojans face off in the Cotton Bowl. Here are 10: 1. THE UNIFORMS » Ohio State is the home team and will wear its scarlet jerseys that are on display Saturdays at Ohio Stadium. The Trojans will wear their road white jerseys. Each team’s helmets are sharp, iconic and pop on the screen. 2. SAM DARNOLD » Northeast Ohio fans who root for the Buckeyes and are also Browns fans could find themselves smitten with the QB from USC. He might be the No. 1 pick for Cleveland next April — if the redshirt sophomore declares for the NFL Draft. Darnold is that good. He’s especially dangerous when he moves around the pocket, giving himself precious few more

seconds to find an open receiver. 3. THE BUCKEYES’ DEFENSIVE LINE » Darnold might need those extra seconds. He will likely face the biggest challenge of the season in terms of defensive pressure. The OSU D-line is heralded as the nation’s best with Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes and Dre’Mont Jones. 4. THE USC SONG GIRLS » Arguably the most famous set of cheerleaders in college football, they have been around for 45 years, and — according to the school — “consistently portray an image of class, sophistication and cutting edge choreography.” No argument here. 5. HIGH-SCORING OFFENSES » The Buckeyes are fifth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 42.5 points. The Trojans are 23rd, and enter the Cotton Bowl averaging 34.5 points. This one has the makings of a shootout.

6. AT&T STADIUM » Love Jones or hate him, when there’s a game at his stadium, it’s difficult not to watch, or at the very least give it a peek. Wonders of the world don’t seem in our vernacular any longer, but this facility seems close to fitting that bill. 7. IT’S THE ONLY GAME DEC. 29 » The Cavs don’t play again until Dec. 30. The Monsters are on the road. There’s no other bowl game that night. The weather forecast is awful. Meet some friends at an establishment. Or stay home. Friday nights are typically the worst night for TV, but not this Friday. 8. J.K. DOBBINS » The true freshman is coming off a 174yard game against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, and is dazzling to watch. Dobbins finds opens space with ease, can change pace on a dime and looks natural doing it. He rushed for an OSU single-season freshman record 1,364 yards

while averaging 7.5 yards per attempt. He’s a bona fide star in the making — if not that already. 9. J.T. BARRETT » Barrett and the Buckeyes put up a goose egg against Clemson last season in the College Football Playoff, so it’s safe to say Barrett is determined to go out strong. Barrett is polarizing in Columbus. While he has struggled at times during his standout career, it’s odd a QB with this much success will leave OSU with such a divide among the fan base. Barrett’s numbers are awesome — 12,537 yards passing and rushing and 145 total touchdowns.

10. AND THE PAGEANTRY »

“Traveler” the Trojan Horse ... Script Ohio ...OSU’s “Battle Cry” ... USC’s “Fight On” ... Tradition will ooze throughout the night in the Lone Star State.

Mark Podolski