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.
Texas will receive opening kickoff
Ohio State won the opening coin-toss and deferred possession until the second half. That suits their specialty: The Buckeyes have been excellent this season at scoring going into and out of halftime.
Game is moments away
We're moments away from kickoff for Texas vs. Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.
Has scarcity led to success?
If you believe Ohio State, it's secret to success in the playoff has been to buck the major trend of college football's past decade — and go slow.
Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly revolutionized offense 17 years ago when he installed a fast-paced offense at Oregon that cut down on time between snaps. It fatigued defenses and scored quickly. But since stepping down as UCLA's coach last year to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State under his longtime friend, Ryan Day, Kelly put in a scheme that has done the once-unthinkable. It huddles.
Now, Ohio State has run the fewest offensive snaps this season among the playoff's final four, and that has kept the Buckeyes healthier and potent, Day said.
"We felt like by cutting down the number of snaps it would certainly help with the length of our season and the health of our team," Day told reporters Friday morning. "But also getting in a huddle and having Will Howard look 10 guys in the eye and break a huddle together, kind of grew as a team as the season went on. And there was a little bit of a part of that that we felt like gave us a little bit of an edge.
"We broke the huddle together. And I know it sounds crazy, the huddle, it’s almost like going back in time. But it’s sort of a new thing, really, because of the no huddle offenses that have been around; and certainly we have been a part of that."
The factor of Jeremiah Smith
A contributing factor in Ohio State’s stunning loss to Michigan in late November was its lack of involving one of its best players in the offense. The Buckeyes targeted freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith with only two passes in the second half of the rivalry loss.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly hasn’t made the same mistake ever since. Smith caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s first-round playoff win against Tennessee, then had seven receptions for 187 yards and two more touchdowns against top-seeded Oregon in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl.
“That kid can ball,” Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “He can ball. He’s a big baller. Strong, strong ability. He’s a deep threat. And they love to get him the ball, and they love to create opportunities to get him the ball.”
Will Howard faces familiar foe
Before his transfer to Ohio State one year ago, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard faced Texas often in the Big 12 Conference while playing at Kansas State. Howard was 0-3 as a starter, and 0-4 overall ... not that he’s counting.
“That was the only team I didn’t beat when I was in the Big 12,” Howard said Sunday. “So, yeah, there’s definitely, personally for me, a little extra motivation there, because I never got the chance to beat these guys. Played them four years. They’re always a good team, but I don’t think — none of those games were unwinnable. Last year we lost in overtime, so definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”
Texas is rarely an underdog
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.
Defense wins championships?
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
Series history
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.