Sugar Bowl: #3 Texas vs #2 Washington Odds, and Picks (Jan 1)

• Texas won the Big-12 title game, surging past Oklahoma State, 49-21.
• Washington took down Oregon, 34-31, winning the Pac-12 championship.
• These two teams last met on December 29, 2022, in a game Washington won 27-20.

The college football season has reached the bowl games! Let’s preview the 2023 Sugar Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies. The winner here will claim a spot in the national title game.

How to Watch

• ESPN

Preview

Texas had little trouble against Oklahoma State in the Big-12 title game, improving to 12-1 on the season. The Longhorns posted an impressive final schedule, with their sole loss coming on a neutral field, in a last second comeback by Oklahoma. Meanwhile, their early-season win at Alabama helped catapult them into the CFP field. They face one of their toughest tests of the year in this semifinal against 13-0 Washington.

Washington improved to a perfect 13-0 in the Pac-12 championship game. They defeated Oregon for the second time this season, silencing the growing belief that the Ducks had become the better team. The Huskies made the CFP once before in 2016, but did so with a 1-loss team. This may the best team they’ve ever fielded. They’ll put it to the test against a battle-tested Texas team, with the Big-10 closely watching.

Prediction

This should be a well-matched and exciting bowl game between two of the semifinalists. Washington will be aiming to stay perfect on the year and improve to 14-0, while Texas has a chance to continue their hot play, and potentially avenge last season’s bowl defeat. I see this being one of the highest-scoring NY6 bowls, with the Longhorns eventually emerging victorious by a margin that may not be enough to cover.

NCAAF Picks:

• Texas 34, Washington 31 ()