The Buckeyes dominated the Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
Get ready to see a lot of scarlet and gray and burnt orange and white together.
Before the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes open the 2025 season in a big-time non-conference matchup in Columbus, the two blue-blood programs will face off in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
When the odds opened from FanDuel on Wednesday evening, the Buckeyes were a 4.5-point favorite.
The line comes after the Buckeyes destroyed the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, 41-21, a score that hardly reflected how much Ohio State dominated while scoring 34 unanswered points to open the game.
Texas had a much more difficult time with Arizona State in the Peach Bowl despite running out to a 14-3 lead midway through the first quarter as a key interception thrown by redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers and big plays by star Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo sent the game into overtime after two missed field goals by Longhorns kicker Bert Auburn.
In the first overtime, Arizona State converted a 4th and 1 and a 3rd and 14 before Texas scored the tying touchdown on 4th and 13. The second overtime went more conclusively in the favor of the Longhorns thanks to a 25-yard touchdown reception by senior tight end Gunnar Helm on the first play from scrimmage and a game-sealing interception by senior safety Andrew Mukuba.
The Cotton Bowl matchup between the Longhorns and Buckeyes is the fourth all time between the two programs.
The first came in Columbus in 2005, an iconic 25-22 win by Texas secured by a 24-yard touchdown pass from Vince Young to Limas Sweet with 2:37 remaining. In the rematch the following season in Austin, the Buckeyes won convincingly, 24-7.
The third meeting was the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, another iconic game won by the Horns, 24-21, when Quan Cosby made the game-winning touchdown catch with 16 seconds left to set his career highs with 14 receptions for 171 yards.