Anyone have a sweet tooth for this Sugar Bowl CFP showdown? With one win away from reaching the National Championship, the Texas Longhorns will clash with the Washington Huskies in what should be an absolute treat. It is about that time to check out our College Football odds series where our Texas-Washington prediction and pick will be made.

Appearing in their first-ever College Football Playoff, the Texas Longhorns can now officially say that they are back. Since the departure of legendary head coach Mack Brown back on 2013, Texas has struggled to return to the national prominent stage that they stood on for so many years. Fast forward to 2021, and the hiring of head coach Steve Sarkisian has paid off for the Longhorns in a big way. In his third year, Texas has a chance to compete for their first National Championship since 2005. After a 49-21 rout over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game, Texas is ready for their next big challenge.

On the other side of things, the Washington Huskies have reeled off an undefeated season at 13-0 and are making their second CFP appearance since 2016. Led by star QB Michael Penix Jr. and one of the more underrated head coaches in all of college football in Kalen DeBoer, this is a Huskies squad that should not be taken lightly. Fresh off of squeaking by Oregon in the final Pac-12 Championship Game by a score of 34-31, can Washington continue their perfect pursuit to a National Title appearance?

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Sugar Bowl Odds: Texas-Washington Odds

Texas: -4.5 (-108)

Washington: +4.5 (-112)

Over: 62.5 (-115)

Under: 62.5 (-105)

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Why Texas Will Cover The Spread

Ahead of this epic, primetime matchup, don't expect this Texas passing attack to slow down anytime soon. Despite missing a couple of games in the middle of the season due to injury, QB Quinn Ewers has proven that he can spin the pigskin with the best of them. As a whole, Ewers has amassed 3,161 yards through the air and has connected with his fellow receivers 21 times for touchdowns. To make matters worse for this Washington secondary, explosive wideouts like Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell have track-like speed and are intriguing NFL prospects at their position. As long as Texas can set up a respectable running game, there should be plenty of big plays over the top through the air.

Nevertheless, if there is one area of concern for the Longhorns in this matchup, it is surprisingly their inefficiency when reaching the red zone. Overall, Texas tends to have no issues in finding ways to cross midfield, but they often stall far too frequently when they come into striking distance. Alas, avoiding kicking field goals, turning the ball over, and committing negative yardage plays will be major victories for Washington. If the Longhorns can find pay dirt more often than not, then they'll be sitting pretty.

Why Washington Will Cover The Spread

For starters, the overall poise and moxy of QB Michael Penix Jr could be the main reason why Washington is able to take care of business. When taking a deeper dive at the numbers, it should be expected that Texas will want to generate a lethal pass rush against Penix Jr. considering he tends to struggle when there is pressure in his face. However, this is where Penix Jr.'s invaluable experience comes into play.

While Washington would love to protect their superstar signal caller every snap of this game, the Tampa, Florida native has an extremely high IQ with the ball in his left hand and rarely commits mistakes that cost his team. When facing blitzes and pressure, Penix Jr. does a tremendous job in escaping the pocket and throwing the ball out of bounds. The biggest key in this game will be to avoid falling behind the sticks and staying ahead of schedule on each down.

Even if the offense does what they're expected to do, can the defense step up and make big-time plays when called upon? Remember, this is a unit that allows nearly 400 yards of total offense per game which ranks near the lower half of college football. Alas, the UW defense is known for giving up some chunk plays, and if they let some of these talented Texas wide receivers run free without any efforts of locking them down, then all hell could break loose if you're wearing purple and gold.

Final Texas-Washington Prediction & Pick

For the second straight season, these two schools will be facing off in postseason play down south. However, this year's overall implications could not be higher with a trip to the National Championship on the line. When it's all said and done, Washington's weapons offensively are slightly superior to Texas and they will make big-time plays in crunch time to punch their ticket to Los Angeles for all the marbles.

Final Texas-Washington Prediction & Pick: Washington +4.5 (-112)