The No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns (13-2) will square off against the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2) in the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes knocked off top-seeded Oregon, 41-21, in the Rose Bowl and the Longhorns defeated No. 4 Arizona State, 39-31, in double-overtime in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day to advance to the semifinals. This is their first meeting since 2009 when Texas defeated Ohio State, 24-21, in the Fiesta Bowl with Colt McCoy at quarterback.
Kickoff at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ohio State is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Texas vs. Ohio State odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 53.5. Before making any Ohio State vs. Texas picks, make sure to check out the bowl predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine expert Josh Nagel, considering his mastery of picks involving Texas.
Nagel is a Nevada-based handicapper with more than 25 years of experience in the sports wagering industry. SportsLine's assistant managing editor has covered the wagering industry on a variety of platforms and has won numerous sports handicapping contests. He's currently on a 26-12 (+1439) run in his last 38 betting picks in games involving the Longhorns. Anyone who has followed him at sportsbooks or betting apps could be way up.
Now, Nagel has locked in on Texas vs. Ohio State and just revealed his college football picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several CFB odds and CFB betting lines for Ohio State vs. Texas:
- Ohio State vs. Texas spread: Ohio State -5.5
- Ohio State vs. Texas over/under: 53.5 points
- Ohio State vs. Texas money line: Ohio State -230, Texas +187
- Ohio State vs. Texas picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Ohio State vs. Texas streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Ohio State can cover
It's hard to imagine this Ohio State team lost to an unranked Michigan squad at home to close out the regular season with how dominant the Buckeyes have been during the College Football Playoff. Ohio State defeated Tennessee, 42-17, in the opening round before knocking off top-seeded Oregon, 41-21, in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Ohio State used hot starts in both games to cruise to victories as the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents, 35-0, in the opening quarter of the CFP.
Outside of its shocking 13-10 loss to Michigan, Ohio State is averaging 39.4 ppg over its previous five games while scoring more than 30 points in each contest. The Buckeyes have the No. 6 scoring offense (36.4 ppg) in the nation this season, but their defense was truly elite. Ohio State has the No. 1 scoring defense (12.1 ppg) while allowing the fewest yards in the nation (245.0 per game) and yards per play (3.9) and its defense can disrupt Texas on Friday. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Texas can cover
The Longhorns fell to Georgia, 22-19, in overtime in the SEC Championship to miss out on one of the four byes in the College Football Playoff, but after being held to fewer than 20 points in back-to-back games, the Texas offense has regained its efficiency by scoring at least 38 points in each playoff game. Texas defeated Clemson, 38-24, in the first round before surviving a late run by Arizona State and knocking off the Sun Devils, 39-31, in double-overtime in the Peach Bowl. The Longhorns opened a 24-8 lead in the fourth quarter before Arizona State scored the final 16 points of regulation to force overtime.
Quinn Ewers threw two of his three touchdown passes in overtime as he completed 20 of 30 passes for 322 yards and added a rushing touchdown in the victory. Ewers is one of the top and most experienced quarterbacks in college football and he's coming off his second straight 3,000-yard passing season. He threw for 3,189 yards and led the SEC in touchdown passes (29). His experience and talent combined with the Longhorns' No. 3 scoring defense at 14.5 ppg could be a dangerous combination as the higher-seeded underdog in the Cotton Bowl. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Ohio State vs. Texas picks
Nagel has analyzed Texas vs. Ohio State from every possible angle. He's leaning Under the point total and has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. Find out what it is, and which team to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Ohio State vs. Texas, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas vs. Ohio State spread to back, all from the expert who is an amazing 26-12 on picks involving Texas, and find out.
