Is Jeremiah Smith playing today in the Cotton Bowl? Ohio State WR's status explored

Jeremiah Smith will be key for the Ohio State Buckeyes' aspirations of advancing to the national championship game. There's no report of Smith suffering from any injury or physical trouble, so the MVP of the Rose Bowl is in line to take the field Friday.

Against the Oregon Ducks, Smith exploded in his production with 187 yards, and two touchdowns in seven receptions during the 41-21 victory at the the Rose Bowl. He has 1,224 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 70 catches. He averages 17.5 yards per catch.

If he were to show up at the same level during the Cotton Bowl on Friday, he could prove to be a headache for Texas's defense.

Ryan Day praises Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns ahead of the Cotton Bowl

Ahead of Friday's College Football Playoff semifinal, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day spoke with the press and praised the work done by Steve Sarkisian.

"This new format has allowed teams to grow throughout the season. And I think coach Sark has done a great job, and his staff and his team, of growing throughout the season," Day said.

"You can see every week, every month as the season has gone on, they’ve grown, they’ve changed, they’ve adapted, they’ve built, and they’ve stayed resilient throughout the season. And they’re a very, very good opponent. Very, very talented, well-coached, played in big games before. And, so, it’s a great opponent, and it’s going to be a great atmosphere. Our team is very, very excited about playing in it."

In the same press conference, Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock spoke about facing former teammate, and Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers.

"It’s going to be awesome. He’s a great quarterback. Kudos to what he’s done to bring Texas to the playoffs. Yeah, good things for him," the cornerback said.

The Cotton Bowl is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will air on ESPN. Despite playing in their home state, the Texas Longhorns are six-point underdogs against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Longhorns defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in a thrilling Peach Bowl which ended 39-31, following two overtimes.