ESPN’s College GameDay panel was nearly unanimous in picking Washington to defeat Texas in Monday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Sugar Bowl.

The second-ranked Huskies (13-0) wrangle with the third-ranked Longhorns (12-1) out of the Big 12. UW currently possesses the nation’s longest active winning streak at 20 games, dating back to last season. That stretch includes a win over Texas in last year’s Alamo Bowl.

Three of the four analysts on the traveling pregame show for ESPN have UW winning the rematch. Here’s how they picked:

  • Desmond Howard: Washington
  • Pat McAfee: Washington
  • Lee Corso: Texas
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Washington

Here’s what Howard had to say on the game:

“Such an evenly matched game. You look at both offenses. But I think I’m gonna have to go with the Huskies because of their offensive line. I think with Dillon Johnson running the ball now, they have a lot of balance offensively. I’m gonna go with the Huskies in a close one.”

And here’s what McAfee had to say:

“They’re big, they’re strong, they’re fast. But, to me, this Washington team is so callous. They can win a game however you need to win the game, and I think Michael Penix Jr. continues this dream year coming back to Washington.”

Here was Corso’s justification for picking Texas:

“Texas (has the) advantage running the ball and stopping the run. One-dimensional Washington will not beat them. Texas wins a close one.”

And, finally, Herbstreit gave his reasoning for siding with UW:

“Coin flip on this for me. I love Sark, I love the trenches, they have a big advantage up front on both sides. But there’s just something about that group of receivers that Washington has. I think it’s a 38-35 kind of game, which quarterback has it last. I think Washington wins it.”

Kickoff from the Sugar Bowl is set for 5:45 p.m. PT on ESPN. Texas is a four-point favorite in the game.