Who has edge in College Football Playoff matchup between Texas, Arizona State at Peach Bow?

Three months later, Texas finally has that long-awaited win against a ranked opponent.

Beating Clemson 38-24 in the opening round of the College Football Playoff has the Longhorns in the Peach Bowl against Big 12 champion Arizona State. The Sun Devils are one of the great success stories in the Bowl Subdivision after winning just three games last season.

The final score is slightly misleading: Texas was firmly in control nearly throughout, ceding some ground in the second half as Cade Klubnik brought the Tigers within a touchdown but quickly answering with a long touchdown run to secure the win.

Clemson’s defense was unable to keep the Longhorns under wraps. Arizona State should have an even more difficult time.

But unlike the Tigers, Arizona State has the offensive firepower to go punch for punch with Texas and turn this into an up-and-down, high-scoring matchup.

Here are the keys to the Peach Bowl:

Can Arizona State stay hot?

The Sun Devils started to raise some eyebrows with a perfect run through non-conference play but lost some momentum with league losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati. They haven’t lost since, rolling into the quarterfinals on a six-game winning streak that includes ranked wins against Kansas State, Brigham Young and Iowa State.

The Peach Bowl could help illustrate the value – or maybe the detriment – of advancing straight into the quarterfinals as one of the top four conference champions.

Will the layoff hurt Arizona State? Will playing in the opening round give Texas more momentum heading into New Year’s Day? Will watching from home force the Sun Devils to shake off some early rust and potentially fall behind in the first quarter or first half?

Would Quinn Ewers deliver in a shootout?

Arizona State ranks 31st in the FBS at 33.1 points per game, but that average has climbed since the start of November. The Sun Devils are averaging 37.2 points per game during this active winning streak, including a 45-point outburst to beat Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.

Ewers averaged 8.4 yards per attempt against Clemson, his best single-game performance since averaging 12.3 yards per throw against Florida in early November. But he had another interception, giving him four in his last three games.

The Longhorns are at their best when the running game is rolling and taking pressure off Ewers’ shoulders, as in the win against the Tigers.

Arizona State will be in position to score the upset by removing the Texas running game from the equation. That’s easier said than done. The Sun Devils have held teams with a non-winning record to 3.6 yards per carry but allowed five opponents with a winning record to averaged 4.3 yards per carry with five touchdowns on 150 touches.

WHO WINS?: Expert predictions for Arizona State-Texas in Peach Bowl

Can the Texas defense clamp down?

Clemson was the first team to throw for more than 300 yards on Texas and just the third team to crack 200 yards. Klubnik threw for three touchdowns after the Longhorns allowed just four scores through the air during the regular season.

This defense remains one of the best in the FBS and a major reason why Texas could march all the way to the national championship.

Even including Clemson, the Longhorns have given up seven passing touchdowns against 20 interceptions while holding opposing quarterbacks to 5.4 yards per attempt. Against the run, Texas has allowed more than 150 yards only once and held seven opponents to under 100 yards.

Texas is also adept at forcing turnovers. The Longhorns are tied for first nationally with 29 takeaways and have forced multiple turnovers in all but three games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas, Arizona State in College Football Playoff at Peach Bowl