Updated Jan. 10, 2025, 9:46 PM UTC
Notre Dame punched its ticket to the national championship on Thursday. Will Ohio State or Texas join them? That answer will be revealed Friday night when the Buckeyes face the Longhorns in a battle of two historic programs.
Ohio State has been the most dominant team thus far in the College Football Playoff. Coach Ryan Day’s squad opened with a 42-17 win against No. 9 seed Tennessee and then crushed No. 1 seed Oregon 41-21 at the Rose Bowl. The latter matchup saw the Buckeyes get out to a 34-0 lead.
Texas, led by former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers, easily handled business against No. 12 Clemson but squeaked out a victory against No. 4 Arizona State in overtime at the Peach Bowl last week. Despite the close result, Ewers put up huge numbers with 322 yards passing with three touchdowns and one interception. He’ll need a similar performance to give the Longhorns a spot in the title game.
Stay with NBC News all night for the latest from the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State vs. Texas
Date: Friday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
How to watch: ESPN or stream on ESPN+ app.
Bettors believe in Ohio State. And that means Texas will enter Friday’s game as an underdog for the first time since Sept. 9, 2023, when the Longhorns played at Alabama.
“I feel like any time any football team is counted out going into a game, it definitely puts a chip on their shoulder to want to go out there and prove people wrong,” offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. said.
These teams are playing in a playoff semifinal because of their prowess on the defensive side of the ball. Ohio State has 12 sacks in its last two games, including eight in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal victory against top-seeded Oregon. In fact, Ohio State led 34-0 by the time the Ducks ran their first offensive play on Ohio State’s side of the 50-yard line.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, have held 10 of their 15 opponents to 17 points or fewer.
The numbers tell the story of where these two defenses rank among the 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Total defense: Ohio State, 1st; Texas, 3rd
Scoring defense: Ohio State, 1st; Texas 4th
Passing yards allowed: Ohio State, 1st; Texas, 3rd
Red zone defense: Ohio State, 2nd; Texas 3rd
These are two of the country’s most historic and successful college football programs yet have met just three times, with all three games coming between 2005-2009. Texas is 2-1 against Ohio State.
You won’t have to wait long for a rematch — Ohio State and Texas will meet in the 2025 regular-season opener on Aug. 30 in Columbus.
