Texas faces Ohio State in College Football Playoff
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

The Longhorns last played Ohio State in 2009, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Hoping to vie for a national championship, the University of Texas faces Ohio State Friday night in Arlington in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
Why it matters: Win or lose, the Longhorns under head coach Steve Sarkisian are relevant once again.
- UT, one of the nation's storied programs, last won a national championship at the end of the 2005 season.
- Yes, but losing in the College Football Playoff for the second year running would feel distinctly dissatisfying.
State of play: The Buckeyes, coming off a 41-21 thrashing of top-ranked Oregon, is favored by 5.5 points in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
- The Longhorns squeaked into the semifinal by emerging from a roller-coaster of a game over Arizona State in double-overtime.
What they're saying: The Longhorns are embracing the unusual little brother tag.
- "Clearly, we're massive underdogs. Nobody's going to give us a shot. So we're going to need all that we can to try to win this game," Sarkisian said at a Cotton Bowl press conference.
What we're watching: Whether UT's running game shows up.
- Holding the ball and chewing up clock could be key to a UT victory — but the Longhorns gained fewer than 100 yards against ASU in the quarterfinal.
- A week and a half earlier, the Longhorns offense ran for 292 yards in its 38-24 win over Clemson.
What scares us: Ohio State's aerial attack.
- Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard tossed three touchdowns against Oregon, including two to Jeremiah Smith, who corralled seven passes for 187 yards.
- Also, their pass rush is a beast — Ohio State notched eight sacks against Oregon.
The intrigue: AT&T Stadium is 200 miles from Austin — and just over 1,000 from Columbus, Ohio.
- UT might be able to amplify its home field advantage if Ohio State fans' travel is delayed or canceled with the winter weather in Dallas.
How to watch: The game airs on ESPN at 6:30pm.
What's next: The winner plays the winner of Thursday's matchup of Penn State and Notre Dame in the Jan. 20 national championship game in Atlanta.
- And Texas opens the 2025 season against Ohio State in Columbus.
