Two of college football's most iconic brands will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday night. Texas and Ohio State will do battle in the Cotton Bowl with a spot in the national championship on the line.
Since losing to rival Michigan in its regular-season finale, Ohio State has transformed into a machine. The Buckeyes steamrolled their first two playoff opponents, No. 9 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon, winning those games by a combined 45 points. Will we see more of the same at AT&T Stadium in Arlington?
If Jeremiah Smith continues his monster postseason, there's a good chance Ohio State will be playing Notre Dame for the national championship. Against the Volunteers, Smith caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He was even better against the top-ranked Ducks, exploding for seven receptions, 187 yards and two scores.
Texas-Ohio State kickoff time today
Date: Friday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. CT
Texas will have its hands full with Smith running downfield, and it has to contain him better than it did Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo in that quarterfinal matchup. The Horns allowed 242 total yards and two touchdowns to Skattebo as they needed two overtimes to beat the Sun Devils.
On the other side of that coin, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is coming off a strong showing in his team's dramatic win over Arizona State. He connected on 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 322 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. If Ewers can replicate that effort against Ohio State, Texas will have a good shot at taking down the hottest team in this postseason.
A spot in the 2025 College Football National Championship is on the line Friday night as No. 3 Texas takes on No. 6 Ohio State in the 2025 Cotton Bowl Classic.
The Longhorns' path to the penultimate round features two close wins --- one over Clemson in the first round and an overtime win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Ohio State, on the other hand, has had a rather dominant march to the semifinals --- defeating Tennessee 42-17 in first round and top-seeded Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl.
Friday's meeting is the first time these two programs will meet on the gridiron since the 2008-09 season, with Texas holding the 2-1 head-to-head advantage.
Who will come out on top? The Sporting News has everything you need to know about the Texas vs. Ohio State game, including TV and streaming information.