Is Jeremiah Smith playing tonight in the Cotton Bowl? Ohio State freshman WR's availability explored

The Ohio State Buckeyes will play the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game serves as the semifinal showdown of the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes have blown out Tennessee and Oregon in their first two playoff games and are favorites to win the national championship. A key reason why is star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Is Jeremiah Smith playing tonight in the Cotton Bowl?

Ohio State Buckeyes star receiver Jeremiah Smith will suit up for the Cotton Bowl matchup against Texas and will play a big role for the team. Smith is the Buckeyes' leading receiver, as he recorded 70 receptions for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns.

In the win against Oregon, Smith caught seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. The freshman receiver can do it all on the field, which has blown away offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

"His physical skills [6-foot-3, 215 pounds] are kind of incomparable for someone at that age, but it's his maturity level that has set him apart. There's a lot of guys that could get caught up in that hype. You don't see that out of him," Kelly said, via ESPN. "How he approaches meetings, how he approaches practices, it's rare."

Smith has recorded a touchdown in 11 of Ohio State's 14 games. He warned Oregon against playing him man-to-man before their CFP quarterfinal matchup.

“I'm just laughing in my head. Why are y'all really playing man-on-man against us, or against me, I should say?” Smith said. “And when we see man [coverage] against any of our receivers, we're going to take a shot down the field.

“So I'm just letting everybody know right now that if you play man Wednesday, we're taking a shot.”

Ohio State is a 6-point favorite to defeat Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night. The Buckeyes are also -140 to win the national championship, as they are the favorites to win the entire thing, and Smith would be a big reason why.