Sugar Bowl expert predictions as Texas and Washington meet in College Football Playoff

The second College Football Playoff semifinal of the day might lack some of the star power of the Rose Bowl. It might end up being the better game with two of the more explosive offenses facing off.

Washington features the passing of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and three of the better receivers in the country, led by Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk, who both reached 1,000 yards receiving. Should Texas concentrate too much on the pass, the Huskies can turn to Dillon Johnson (1,113 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns). The Longhorns counter with their own quarterback standout in Quinn Ewers with Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell being his two primary receiving options.

Expect a lot of points to be scored and the team that comes up with the critical defensive stops to prevail. Our experts make their picks for which team advances to next week's title game.

Scooby Axson

The key for Washington to be successful is to at least try to run on Texas, who only allowed five opponents to gain 100 yards on the ground all season. But if that doesn’t work, the Huskies will air it out, as they led the nation in passing yards per game behind Heisman runner-up Michael Penix, Jr. But the Longhorns interior lines on both sides of the ball will be too tough and Quinn Ewers makes enough plays for Texas to advance to their first title game appearance since the 2009 season. Texas 38, Washington 34.

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Jace Evans

Texas is probably better, but I’m tired of banking on Washington’s magical run ending. I bet against Washington too much this year, only to watch the Huskies repeatedly pull out narrow victories – against a pretty stout schedule. There’s value in that. I think they do it one more time. Washington 35, Texas 28.

Paul Myerberg

Texas can shut down Washington’s running game but won’t be able to do the same when Michael Penix drops back to pass. That the Longhorns can make the Huskies a little more one-dimensional is a big deal, though, and a huge factor in what could be a high-scoring game and the antidote to a more slowed-down Rose. A bigger deal is whether Texas can get to Penix and disrupt the pocket. If so, the ‘Horns should get past Washington to set up a rematch with the Tide. Texas 37, Washington 24.

Erick Smith

Washington has more weapons and the ability to outscore Texas. The question will be whether the Huskies can win enough on both sides of the line of scrimmage to take advantage of quarterback Michael Penix and the best receiving trio in the country. The Longhorns must be able to establish the run and slow the game down because they haven't been tested by a dynamic offense except in a loss to Oklahoma. They'll do enough to upset Penix's rhythm and possess the ball enough to sneak out with win. Texas 30, Washington 23.

Eddie Timanus

This has the feel of one of those "last team with the ball wins" kind of games. If it does indeed come down to clock management in the closing moments, I trust Kalen DeBoer to handle it better than Steve Sarkisian. Truly a toss-up, but I’ll go with the Huskies in a track meet. Washington 48, Texas 45.

Dan Wolken

The biggest matchup difference in this game is Huskies’ receiving corps, which is now fully healthy, against the Longhorns’ questionable secondary. Washington is going to have guys open all day. So who wins the matchup between the Huskies’ elite offensive line and Texas’ elite defensive line? If Washington can protect Penix enough and get just a bit out of its running game, they’ll be really tough to slow down. Washington 35, Texas 31.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas-Washington Sugar Bowl predictions for College Football Playoff