SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports college football reporters Paul Myerberg and George Schroeder give their take on who will win the Sugar Bowl. USA TODAY Sports
The Cotton Bowl featured a marquee matchup between the Power Five conference champions not taking part in the College Football Playoff; two legendary programs led by two big-name quarterbacks.
In the end, No. 5 Ohio State got the victory over No. 7 Southern California behind its senior signal-caller and a strong defensive performance.
In his final college game, J.T. Barrett had 179 total yards and two touchdowns as the Buckeyes beat the Trojans 24-7.