A New Year’s Six regular faces off against a plucky upstart in the 2023 Cotton Bowl. The seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) face off against the ninth-ranked Missouri Tigers (10-2, 6-2 SEC).
Missouri was an impressive surprise this year. Heading into the year, the Tigers were expected to finish sixth in the SEC East. As the dust settled, Mizzou finished second only to Georgia. They kicked off the year with a perfect non-conference slate with three narrow victories. In SEC play, Missouri only dropped games to LSU in a barn-burner and Georgia. Of their six SEC wins, five were by multiple scores including impressive wins over ranked Kentucky and Tennessee.
By most metrics, the 2023 Ohio State season was successful. By Ohio State metrics, it was disappointing. 11 games up, 11 games down, 11 wins. Then they faltered, yet again, to Michigan. Up to that point, Ohio State passed every task. The only narrow victories on the Ohio State schedule were a thrilling last-second win at Notre Dame and an eight-point win against Penn State. The latter was a bit more convincing. In 11 wins, Ohio State had an average margin of victory of 24.4 points. It was not quite as high-flying of an offense fans were accustomed to but it was still among the best.
This will be the 13th time Ohio State and Missouri will face off and the Buckeyes sport a 10-1-1 mark against the Tigers. Ohio State owns a 27-28 record in bowls and Missouri has a 15-20 record. The Buckeyes have made a New Year’s Six bowl every year since the inception of the College Football Playoff and have yet to lose in a non-CFP bowl.
Ohio State vs Missouri for the 2023 Cotton Bowl
Date: December 29th, 2023
Time: 8:00 P.M. EST
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN
Monitoring Transfers and Opt-Outs
For Missouri, this game will be just another game on the schedule. They’ll be just about at full strength with no massive transfers or opt-outs. The defense will be without a pair of starters due to injury, however.
Ohio State, on the other hand, has a longer list. However, the problem is that Ryan Day and company often keep things like this close to the vest until the very last minute. In terms of transfers, the Buckeyes will be without starting quarterback Kyle McCord and third wide receiver, Julian Fleming. They have about a dozen other outbound transfers but most are losses of depth and were not going to make an impact.
Only running back Miyan Williams, who has been injured since Week 8, has officially opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. It is heavily speculated that Marvin Harrison, Jr., a potential top-three pick, will also opt-out. Aside from those, most of Ohio State’s draft-eligible players have announced they are playing.
When Ohio State Has the Ball
It’s going to be quite an interesting sight as Devin Brown will make his first start. On the year, he played just 72 snaps and attempted just 22 passes. To say that he’s green would be an understatement. In the practices leading up to the Cotton Bowl, Brown has often been lauded for his confidence and play-making abilities by his coaches and peers. He is a very different animal than McCord and Ohio State will get to see if he’s the one for 2024. Even more quirky, he wears the number 33.
Brown’s offensive line will be intact and he should have a full arsenal of weapons, aside from Fleming. TreVeyon Henderson looks to be a difference-maker in this game against a defense that allowed over 100 yards on the ground six times. Being without Harrison (presumably) will be impactful but tight end Cade Stover and receivers Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and Xavier Johnson will be able to pick up the slack.
Missouri has a solid defense but nothing quite like what Ohio State has faced. The Tiger front seven has a few studs in Darius Robinson and Chuck Hicks. Robinson led the way with his 12 tackles for loss and seven-and-a-half sacks on the year. He added a forced fumble and recovered a fumble for good measure. Hicks added 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks to go with a forced and recovered fumble.
The Missouri secondary is 63rd in the nation in passing yards allowed with 222.2 per game. The unit is led by Kris Abrams-Draine and his 12 pass breakups and four interceptions. Ohio State averaged 282.7 yards per game through the air (with McCord). That total would be the second-highest total allowed by the Tigers if that’s how the Buckeyes faired.
When Missouri Has the Ball
As the 24th-best offense in terms of yardage and 25th in scoring, Missouri will be the best and fourth-best offense Ohio State has faced this year, respectively. The offense goes through former walk-on and 2023 Doak Walker Award winner, Cody Schrader. His 1,499 rushing yards were the best in the SEC and fourth in FBS. He eclipsed 100 yards eight times and is coming into the Cotton Bowl riding a five-game streak in nature.
Quarterback Brady Cook had himself a breakout campaign in 2023 with 3,189 yards and 20 touchdowns. His favorite target was First-Team All-SEC and Second-Team All-American, Luther Burden III. Burden will, easily, be the most talented receiver the Ohio State secondary has faced outside of practice. This game will pit a top offense against one of the best defenses in the nation.
That Ohio State unit finished second in scoring, first in passing, 24th in rushing, and third in total defense. In eight games, the Buckeyes held their opponents to under 300 yards of total offense. The unit took a massive step forward from last year by limiting the big plays. That top-ranked secondary, while only forcing seven interceptions on the year, scored three times. The corner trio of Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, and Jordan Hancock played with a physicality that has seldom been seen by a Day-led squad.
The front six (Ohio State runs a sort of 4-2 front) has been incredibly solid, albeit not quite to par with the elite pass-rushers of days past. The defensive front of Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, Mike Hall, Jr., and Jaylahn Tuimoloau was not as productive but was able to control games. Each player has an NFL future but none have made up their minds as of the week leading up to the game. In every facet, this will be the best defense the Missouri offense has faced.
2023 Cotton Bowl Prediction
A full-strength Missouri team versus a nearly-full-strength Ohio State team is bound to be a great game. In many aspects, each team will be facing something better than anything they’ve faced all year. Neither team is facing a “do they even care?” narrative. Missouri is as excited as can be to be in the Cotton Bowl after a massively impressive season. Ohio State, the team one would expect to be disappointed, has shown a wave of unity and there’s a feeling of “unfinished business” around Columbus.
Brown at quarterback will be the most intriguing thing to watch in this one as neither team truly knows what number 33 has. Ultimately, as with the last time Ohio State played in the Cotton Bowl, the defense should win this game for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State wins, 31-20.
