The Cotton Bowl is back, but tonight it's a bit different, as the No. 9 Missouri Tigers take on the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes in a bowl game for the first time.

Indeed, it has been a while since we have had the opportunity to see Ohio State and Missouri face off. The two teams have played a total of 12 times, with the last meeting coming in 1998, when the Buckeyes defeated Mizzou 35-14.

Some worry that this year's game will be similarly one-sided, but while Ohio State looks like a strong team going into the Cotton Bowl, Missouri also looks solid. Their line and secondary are solid, and their defense is outstanding. On offense, third-year quarterback Brady Cook has passed for nearly 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns. Expect to see more of Cook in this game.

Interestingly, this game could ultimately be a battle of the quarterbacks. Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord has thrown for 3,170 yards this year, nearly identical to his opponent Cook. However, McCord leads in touchdown passes, easily surpassing Cook's 20 with 24.

In addition to the quarterback's ability, Ohio State comes into the game with a very strong defense.

At any rate, the Cotton Bowl promises to be a true showdown between two teams that haven't played in quite some time. We can't wait to see what happens. And with just a few hours to go until the game, DraftKings has Ohio State favored by a 5-point spread.

Read on to find out how to watch when the Cotton Bowl airs live tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

If you are traveling tonight and can't seem to find a platform to watch the game, you are not out of luck. With a virtual private network (VPN), you can pretend you're surfing the web from your hometown (or anywhere else the power won't go out) and access the same streaming services you've already paid for.

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We tested a variety of services and chose ExpressVPN as the best VPN overall; ExpressVPN offers excellent speed, great customer service, and a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

In the United States, the Cotton Bowl is broadcast live on ESPN, so anyone with a cable or satellite subscription can easily access the game with their favorite provider.

ESPN will also stream the game via the ESPN app and the ESPN website, but the latter requires logging in and authenticating your cable, satellite, or live TV provider.

ESPN is also available on several streaming platforms, including Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV.

Sling Orange, one of our favorite streaming platforms, offers 40 channels, including ESPN. And it's affordable at $40/month. Another favorite service, Fubo, costs $75/month and offers 121 channels, including ESPN.

The 2023 Cotton Bowl will not be available on cable or satellite in Canada, but Fubo Canada delivers ESPN to its customers, so it will be available in Canada without a problem.

Those who are not Fubo customers may opt for ExpressVPN, our favorite VPN service.

If you are in the UK, the Cotton Bowl will not be broadcast live, so you will need to opt for a VPN like ExpressVPN to access the streaming service and stream from afar.

The Australia-based Kayo streaming platform streams a host of college sports, including college football, and is expected to stream the 2023 Cotton Bowl live. So if you find yourself in Australia during the game, signing up for this service is not a problem.

If you do not wish to sign up for Kayo, you can log on to ExpressVPN and access your preferred streaming service from Australia.