Booger McFarland believes Texas 'absolutely' has a chance to beat Ohio State

The first of two College Football Playoff semifinals is set with the Texas Longhorns set to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. With both sides already having won two playoff games this year, the Buckeyes are now entering the game with many experts expecting them to add another win here.

Despite coming in as an underdog, as ESPN analyst Booger McFarland explained on First Take, the Buckeyes aren’t unbeatable. Because of that, fans shouldn’t discount the chance that Texas has to beat Ohio State in the semifinals.

Get your team’s official College Football Playoff watch from AXIA by CLICKING HERE: “Watches that tell so much more than time”

“If you’re talking about the Longhorns being an underdog am I giving them a chance? Absolutely,” McFarland said. “It’s amazing how we get caught up and we become prisoners of the moment. See, I’m old enough to remember this Ohio State team that lost to Michigan. Michigan. The same Michigan team that at a certain point couldn’t score points this season, but all of a sudden because this Ohio State team puts it together for two weeks and now all of a sudden they’re world beaters so they can beat anybody. I’m just old enough to remember this Ohio State team struggling with teams in the Big Ten all season.”

Prior to the College Football Playoff, both Ohio State and Texas lost twice. The Buckeyes dropped two regular season games to Oregon and Michigan. The Longhorns, meanwhile, lost to Georgia twice, including in the SEC Championship Game. Heading into the semifinal game, the Buckeyes have won their Playoff games by a combined score of 83-38. Meanwhile, Texas went to double overtime with Arizona State.

Despite that, McFarland still expects a close game and actually trusts Texas coach Steve Sarkisian more than Ohio State’s Ryan Day.

“So, I think this is gonna be a very tight game. If both teams play at their best, you may give the edge to Ohio State, but I’m not sure that the Buckeyes can do it three games in a row. I’m just not sure and if you were to ask me which coach do I trust the most, is it Ryan Day and the Buckeyes or is it Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, I’m probably gonna lean toward Texas and having more faith and more trust in Steve Sarkisian than I do in Ryan Day,” McFarland said.

“I’ll give Ohio State credit, the last two weeks have been phenomenal. Jeremiah Smith may be the best player in America. If he was in this draft, he’d be the first player taken. Absolutely phenomenal. But at the end of the day, can Ohio State do it three games in a row? I have my doubts.”

The College Football Playoff semifinal between Ohio State and Texas will double as the Cotton Bowl and will be played on January 10th at 7:30 p.m. EST.