All season long, Texas has been oddsmakers’ favorites. Not against Ohio State, though. Not in the Cotton Bowl.

The Buckeyes are six-point favorites against the Longhorns, putting those in burnt orange in an odd position for the first time this season.

“I wouldn't really say feel weird or any type of feeling, to be honest with you,” safety Andrew Mukuba said. “Speaking from a player perspective, guys in the locker room, we don’t really pay attention to that, because, you know, all that stuff could be wrong.

“If they got us the underdog, then that’s fine. If they don’t, then that’s also fine.”

After playing a full season in the SEC, Texas shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone. After all, this is a group of players who have won at Alabama and Michigan and gone toe-to-toe in two grudge matches against Georgia.

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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian left no doubt where he stands on the issue. He had a noticeable tight jawline when asked specific questions last week about how Texas planned on stopping Ohio State’s talented players.

“I just hope we're good enough to guard ’em,” Sarkisian said with the look of wanting to fist-fight the questioner. “These guys are really good players. We'll find out.”

Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. greets just about every question from reporters with a smile.

“We never consider ourselves underdogs,” Hill said. “We just want to go out there and play and execute to the best of our ability. We don’t look at what they say on the internet. We just want to tune all that out.”

Ditto for defensive lineman Alfred Collins.

“We really don't pay attention to what others say,” Collins said. “We know what we're doing in our building. And when the time comes, we'll be able to showcase that to the world.”

Safety Michael Taaffe said the venue alone gets him hyped up. He’s been considered an underdog his entire career. Taaffe has gone from a no-star athlete to an All-American at Texas. Nobody wearing scarlet and gray is going to scare him now.

“Whenever you’re in AT&T Stadium, that’s always a big-time game,” Taaffe said. “So, you’ve got to show up. You’ve got to show out. You’ve got to be confident. Not a lot of people are betting on the underdog, and most of the times that I’ve played there, I’ve been the underdog.”