Ohio State Buckeyes Open as Early Favorites vs. Texas Longhorns in Cotton Bowl

The Ohio State Buckeyes are favored over the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) scores a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- The No. 5 Texas Longhorns and No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes are officially set to face off in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl on Friday, Jan. 10 in Arlington, TX.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Ohio State opens as an early 6.5-point favorite after dominating the No. 1 Oregon Ducks 41-21 at the Rose Bowl. The over/under is 54.5. Ohio State's moneyline is -218 while Texas' is +180.

The Buckeyes have now outscored Tennessee and Oregon 83-38 over the first two weeks of the 12-team CFP and clearly look like the most dominant team left in the field.

Texas pulled off a 39-31 double-overtime thriller over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. The Longhorns blew a 16-point lead and gave up 23 unanswered in the second half but came up big in overtime.

Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) holds up the trophy after a victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shared his brief thoughts on Texas right after the end of the Rose Bowl.

"I know what a great program Sark runs and got a lot of respect for him," Day said. "I think we got a lot of time to talk about that next week. We're going to enjoy this one right here."

The Longhorns will need to find a way to stop Ohio State freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was named the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP after finishing with seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon.

This will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Texas and Ohio State, all of which have come since the start of the 2005 national championship-winning season for the Burnt Orange.

Texas and Ohio State will face off for a chance to move on to the National Championship in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 20. The Longhorns or Buckeyes would then play the winner of Penn State vs. Notre Dame/Georgia.

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