FILE – Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka (left) and running back Quinshon Judkins celebrate a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. . (AP Photo/Jay Lapreet, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Some Ohio State players still have no idea what to do, even though they’ve already won two games this postseason and advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Cotton Bowl against Texas. I still feel like I haven’t done anything.
“Absolutely. I’ve been here four years and we just don’t have the hardware to show for it,” receiver Emeka Egbuka said. “That’s at the forefront of our minds.”
Ohio State is the only school to appear in four of the past six CFPs, all since Ryan Day took over as head coach, and before Egbuka and most of the current players arrived. It’s the first time since the Buckeyes won four straight Big Ten titles from 2017-20, the last time the Buckeyes won. The national tournament was 10 years ago. It was the first season of the four-team College Football Playoff, and they won against the in-state Longhorns (13-2) at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Friday night’s winner advances to the national title game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Ohio State (12-2) is the eighth seed favorite to win the national title after two lopsided playoff wins. They won 42-17 at home against Tennessee, followed by a 41-21 victory over undefeated Big Ten champion and top-seeded Oregon State. New Year’s Rose Bowl.
“We’re just fighting for a chance to play together again,” said linebacker and captain Cody Simon, one of nine players still committed to Ohio State from 2020. That’s our biggest motivation right now.” …We don’t want to end this effort too soon. ”
Texas last won a national title 19 years ago and didn’t make its CFP debut as Big 12 champions until last season. The Longhorns, led by coach Steve Sarkisian, are currently the last team in the SEC, the only league to appear in the semifinals every year, and have hosted six of the past nine national champions.
The 15 games the Longhorns played in the SEC Championship Game before wins over Clemson State and Big 12 champion Arizona State are already one more game than they have ever played in a season.
“I like the new dynamic of the playoffs. It’s fun,” Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers said.
“We’re obsessed with finishing,” Longhorns All-America senior cornerback Jahde Barron said. “But we’re obsessed with ourselves and giving ourselves the respect that we deserve every day. And just loving each other and having an equal bond with each other and continuing to build our culture.”
championship QB
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and Ewers won the Big 12 Championship the last time they played at AT&T Stadium.
Texas was last season’s Big 12 champion. Howard transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State, where he won the league title two years ago by defeating undefeated CFP-affiliated TCU in overtime.
Howard started three games against Texas during his time with the Wildcats. All of those were losses, including Game 4, when he was on the sideline.
follow smith
The best matchup of the game might be Barron vs. Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Barron won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. But Barron gave up 4 inches and 15 pounds to Smith, a second-team All-American and perhaps the most exciting freshman in the nation. Smith has 70 receptions for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns. Smith has scored four touchdowns in those playoff games.
“He’s a big-ball player. He’s strong,” Barron said. “He’s a physical player, so I have to be physical too.”
jug protection
Texas, which lost twice to Georgia this season, struggled to protect Ewers, allowing 13 sacks. The Longhorns will now face a Buckeyes defensive front that sacked Oregon State quarterback Dillon Gabriel eight times in the Rose Bowl. Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimorow each recorded two sacks in this game. Sawyer was Ewers’ roommate when the Longhorns QB spent one semester in Columbus before transferring to Texas.
history of cotton
Texas is making its 23rd Cotton Bowl appearance, the most by any team. But this is the first time in 22 years for the Longhorns. Ohio State is in the Cotton Bowl for the second year in a row and fourth overall after losing to Missouri 14-3 last season.
see you soon
The winner will play for the national title, while the loser will enter the offseason for a rematch when the teams meet in the 2025 season opener at Ohio State on Aug. 30.
The only previous regular season meetings were home-and-home series in 2005 and 2006. The road team won both games and qualified for the national championship. Vince Young and the Longhorns defeated Southern California in the 2005 national championship. title. The next season, Ohio State lost to Florida.
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