Cotton Bowl will host the College Football Playoff Semifinal between No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Ohio State on Friday evening. The Buckeyes are six-point favorites, despite the Longhorns getting to play inside their home state of Texas.

Eric Cohen revealed his College Football Playoff semifinal picks for Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Cotton Bowl on Friday

"College GameDay," ESPN's popular college football pregame show is heading to the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, where Ohio State faces Texas.

Why is Ohio State playing Texas in the Cotton Bowl for its CFP semifinal location? Here's what to know ahead of Friday's game vs. the Longhorns:

Texas and Ohio State arrived for the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl before the snow expected to hit the North Texas area.

The semifinal round of the NCAA FBS college football semifinals concludes Thursday with No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas in the Cotton Bowl

Either Texas or Ohio State will get a chance to play for another national championship. The powerhouse programs play Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State takes on Texas in the College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl semifinal on Friday. Here's how to watch, including TV schedule and time:

Now the Longhorns face a Buckeyes defensive front that sacked Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel eight times ... Texas is playing in its 23rd Cotton Bowl, the most for any team. But this is the Longhorns' first in 22 years. Ohio State is in its second ...

Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian spoke to the media Thursday, one day before the Cotton Bowl Classic kicks off at AT&T Stadium near Dal

Texas thrived on being able to take away the run and make Ohio State one-dimensional. It held Ohio State to just 81 rushing yards and 3.4 yards per carry. That was Ohio State’s third-lowest average per carry this season, limiting what the offense wanted to do because it lived behind the sticks.

Despite rolling through wins over Tennessee and then Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Texas’ defense was able to put a lid on Ohio State’s explosive offense. After dominating performances in the first two rounds where the Buckeyes scored 42 and 41 points, the Longhorns’ defense showed up.