Is Will Howard playing today in the Cotton Bowl? Ohio State QB's status explored

Will Howard will play for the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday as they face the No. 5 Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.

The quarterback was key in the Buckeyes' 41-21 victory over the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. He threw for 319 yards and three touchdown passes with a quarterback rating of 97.7.

The College Football Playoff semifinal game will be an opportunity for Howard to defeat Texas for the first time in his career. Before playing for Ohio State, Howard spent four seasons in the Big 12 with Kansas State. The Longhorns, who up until last year were members of the Big 12, were the only school in the conference the signal-caller didn't get to beat during his time with the Wildcats.

This season, Howard has recorded 3,490 yards, with 32 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. His 87.3 QBR is the second-highest in the nation. He has also recorded 165 rushing yards, with seven rushing touchdowns.

Emmanuel Acho believes that Will Howard is the worst remaining QB in the CFP

Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho gave a surprising opinion this week regarding Will Howard. According to the former NFL linebacker, Howard is the worst remaining quarterback in the playoffs.

"Ohio State has the worst quarterback remaining, period,"Acho said. "They have the worst quarterback remaining in Will Howard, I can confidently say that."

Some have been criticizing this comment by Emmanuel Acho, considering the high level of play Will Howard had against Oregon during the Rose Bowl. On the other hand, one has to wonder if this is even an indictment of Howard, given that with only four teams remaining, the quarterbacks left are all of the highest caliber of play.

There's no question that Texas' Quinn Ewers and Penn State's Drew Allar are both elite passers. While Notre Dame's Riley Leonard doesn't bring this level of passing accuracy and power, what he's unable to provide through the air game he makes up with his dual-threat nature and running ability.