Texas lost to the Washington Huskies in last year's CFP semifinals, and the Longhorns have never advanced to the title game in the CFP era. Ohio State is back in the Playoff for the first time since the 2020 season, and it now hopes to win its first national title since the 2014 campaign, the inaugural year of the College Football Playoff.

The main areas of weakness on offense are the Ohio State O-line’s ability to handle extra rushers, ranking 78th with a 9.2% blitz down sack rate, and a somewhat elevated 10.2% blown run block rate that checks in at 94th nationally.

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