Cotton Bowl 2017: Five things to look forward to in USC vs Ohio State

The Cotton Bowl 2017 match up is set — it will feature the USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans have landed in the Cotton Bowl 2017 and will face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Alabama somehow found a way back into the top four in the last possible weekend to get in, leaving Ohio State on the outside looking in.

As for the Trojans, it’s been a climb back to the top, but beating Stanford twice and having the second win be for the PAC-12 conference is something the committee didn’t want to ignore.

And they were smart do so.

USC finished the year 11-2 with their latest win over the Cardinal, and are all set for December 29th when they’ll go toe-to-toe with fifth-ranked Ohio State.

This will be a telling game for Sam Darnold, but more so about how legitimate these Trojans really are. Darnold is obviously a top potential NFL prospect, and this could be the last time we see him play at the collegiate level.

While making the actual four team playoff would have been nice, this is still a solid way for both teams to end their season. The Buckeyes are also 11-2 on the year, and were able to put together wins in three of the four ranked games that they played throughout the season, including their conference championship win over Wisconsin.

With all of that in mind, here are five things to know about USC vs Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.