The Texas Longhorns will ring in the New Year in Atlanta to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl CFP quarterfinal. UT is coming off a 38-24 win over the Clemson Tigers in the first round. ASU had a bye in the first round.
Arizona State is lead by QB Sam Leavitt, who called out Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers this week, and RB Cam Skattebo. Skattebo sent a warning to the Texas defense, saying, “There’s nobody out there that can stop me.”
The winner at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will advance to the college football semifinals against the winner of the Rose Bowl rematch between Oregon and Ohio State.
From an injury standpoint, Isaiah Bond, Jake Major and Kelvin Banks Jr. are expected to play. OL Cam Williams is more of a game time decision.
Texas is a 12.5 point favorite and ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor puts UT at a 79.5% chance of winning.
𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄.#CFAPeachBowl // #ForksUp vs #HookEm pic.twitter.com/qIagX0Umji
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’s Prediction:
The Longhorns have had a nice break, but there have been some comments circulating about who’s the better team or player, I think the Longhorns enter embracing the “All gas no breaks” mentality. As an SEC team, I expect the Longhorns to enter the game strong.
I anticipate decent scoring in the first half, but I believe they’ll lock in their defense in the second half. I don’t foresee much of Arch Manning playing; this is Quinn’s time to shine, hopefully. I simply can’t see Arizona State managing to get past the firepower of Texas.
In my opinion, Texas has too many weapons, and although Arizona State is a good team this year, I just can’t see them stopping Texas. I’ll project some quarterback tension early on, maybe a fumble or interception by Ewers. But I don’t think the pressure lasts.
Final Score: Texas 35, Arizona State 14
Jamie Gatlin’s Prediction:
The Longhorns will be looking to extend their playoff run on Wednesday when they take on Arizona State. They will be led by a talented running back duo of Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner, who combined for 246 yards against Clemson.
The Longhorns are heavy favorites entering this matchup. The Sun Devils will need a big day from Cam Skattebo, who has been stellar during the 2024 campaign, to pull off an upset. If the Longhorns can keep him contained, it will be a long afternoon for the Sun Devils. This is a game that the Longhorns offense could dominate.
Final Score: Texas 34, Arizona State 20
Trey Luerssen’s Prediction:
There were some concerning signs in Texas first round win over Clemson. Primarily, the 336 yards the UT defense gave up to QB Cade Klubnik. The 141 yards Texas gave up on the ground against Georgia is also a worry. Is the Texas defense losing it’s grip at the wrong time of the season?
The Horns’ defense stood strong when they needed to and the Texas offense did enough to beat Clemson and advance. But the Longhorns will need to play better if they want to be playing any further into 2025.
I think Texas wins, but it will be closer than the spread.
Final Score: Texas 31, Arizona State 24