Ohio State vs. Texas Betting Preview - 2025 Playoffs
Ohio State was coming in as a -6 point favorite versus Texas for Friday's big bowl game. The line had been at 5.5 with slightly more than 60% of the betting action on the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes last national title was ten years ago despite appearing in four of the last six College Football Playoffs.
The winner Friday night advances to play Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame (14-1) for the national title in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Ohio State is the No. 8 seed now favored to win the national title after two lopsided playoff wins: 42-17 at home against Tennessee before a dominating 41-21 win over undefeated Big Ten champion and top seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
“We’re just fighting to get another opportunity to play with each other,” said linebacker and captain Cody Simon, one of nine Ohio State players still around from 2020. “That's our biggest motivator right now. ... We don't want to end this run right now."
Texas last won the national title 19 years ago, and didn't make its CFP debut until last season as the Big 12 champion. Coach Steve Sarkisian's fifth-seeded Longhorns are now the last team standing for the Southeastern Conference, the only league that has been represented in the semifinals each year — and that has six of the last nine national champions.
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Key Matchup
Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron vs. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. The 5-foot-11 Barron, a senior, was a first-team AP All-American and won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. He has been the leader of a hard-hitting, smothering Longhorns secondary. Smith, a 6-foot-3 freshman and second-team All-American, leads the Buckeyes with 70 catches for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Players to Watch
Ohio State: Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each have 10 rushing touchdowns, and both have three in the playoffs. Henderson’s 925 yards rushing are only one more than Judkins.
Texas: Edge rusher Colin Simmons won the Shaun Alexander Award as the nation’s top freshman. The 18-year-old leads Texas with nine sacks behind a combination of speed and strength rare in such a young player in such a physical position.
Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers has thrown a touchdown in 26 consecutive games, a streak that was interrupted several times when he sat out due to injuries.
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