Ohio State vs Texas Predictions | College Football Playoff Preview For 1/10/25

College Football Playoff Betting Preview

The College Football Playoff semifinals conclude with Ohio State vs Texas in the Cotton Bowl! Ohio State ran away with their quarterfinal matchup while Texas went to double overtime against Arizona State to advance to this in the College Football Playoff! How will this CFP semifinal game play out? Read below to Get a College Football Playoff betting preview!

GoldSheet – The country’s longest-running sports betting newsletter – shares its thoughts on the matchup between the Buckeyes and Longhorns.

College Football Playoff Details: Ohio State vs Texas

Date:	January 10, 2025
Time:	7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT
Location:	AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
TV:	ESPN
Spread & Total:	Ohio State -6 | O/U 53.5

College Football Playoff odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of 10:00am ET on Thursday, January 9

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Ohio State vs Texas Betting Trends

Texas holds a 2-1 all-time edge in this matchup of blue bloods, with all three meetings taking place between 2005-2009. Led by Colt McCoy, the Longhorns won the last meeting in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.

Texas went 8-7 against the spread this season, but four of those wins came in the first four weeks of the season during non-conference play.

Since jumping into the SEC slate and the College Football Playoffs, the Longhorns have gone 4-7 against the number. Steve Sarkisian is 4-4 straight-up in bowl and playoff games.

Ohio State has gone 8-6 against the number thus far, covering the spread by 18 points in each of the Buckeyes’ two playoff games against Tennessee and Oregon.

Those two games have comfortably gone over the total. Under head coach Ryan Day, Ohio State is 4-4 straight-up in bowl and playoff games.

Ohio State vs Texas Analysis

Take a look at the quarterbacks and passing offenses that Texas has faced this season. Michigan’s Davis Warren was benched multiple times this season.

The Wolverines’ passing attack was No. 123 in EPA per drop-back. Oklahoma’s Michael Hawkins Jr. is a redshirt freshman who was playing in his third career game against Texas. The Sooners’ passing attack was No. 131 in EPA per drop-back.

UL-Monroe was No. 125 in EPA per drop-back. Kentucky was No. 127 in EPA per drop-back. Mississippi State’s Michael Van Buren Jr. was a true freshman making his first college start against Texas.

Texas played Florida when Gators’ quarterback DJ Lagway was out. Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed is a redshirt freshman. Aside from Georgia and MAYBE Arkansas if you’re feeling generous.

Texas did not play anyone capable of moving the ball through the air during the regular season. That changed in a hurry once that Longhorns got to the playoffs, didn’t it?!

Clemson’s Cade Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns against Texas. Arizona State generated 510 total yards and 29 first downs last week while only punting three times.

Clemson and Arizona State both have top-40 passing offenses, but neither of them are in Ohio State’s class.

Chip Kelly and Ryan Day got their wakeup call after the regular season loss to Michigan: You have the best receivers in the country…use them.

Over his last two games, Ohio State QB Will Howard has gone 41-of-55 (74.5-percent) for 630 yards and five touchdowns.

Against two good defenses in Tennessee and Oregon, Howard averaged 11.5 yards per pass attempt. Take that offense out of the Midwest cold and look what we’ve got. Ohio State’s passing offense is top-6 in EPA per drop-back, passing success rate and yards per drop-back.

Ohio State vs Texas Prediction

When playing with the proper gameplan, this Ohio State offense is significantly better than anything Texas has seen this season.

The Longhorns’ first two playoff games have flown over the total. Quinn Ewers and Coach Sark are going to have to go score-for-score with this Ohio State offense.

Ohio State vs Texas Prediction: Over 53.5 Points

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WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college football moneylines, point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of this season’s bowl games, including Friday’s College Football Playoff clash between Ohio State and Texas.

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