Cotton Bowl Classic Showdown: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns Prediction, Betting Odds, and Our Best Bet

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl semifinal is going to be a huge clash between two powerhouse programs — the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. Ohio State, the lowest remaining seed in the College Football Playoff, has been nothing less than dominant as they dismantled Tennessee and top-seeded Oregon with an explosive offense that has been nearly unstoppable. Texas, on the other hand, narrowly escaped Arizona State in a nail-biting overtime win during their Peach Bowl quarterfinal which just showcased both their grit and flaws.

The stakes are as high as ever with a trip to the national championship and SEC vs. Big Ten bragging rights on the line.

Betting Odds and Key Numbers

The spread clearly favors Ohio State at -6.5, with the over/under set at an insane 55.5 points.

The Buckeyes are riding a big wave of momentum, making them the odds-on favorite coming into tonight’s matchup. Meanwhile, Texas enters the game as the underdog, needing their best performance of the year to keep pace. Even that might not be enough to tip the scales.

Ohio State’s offense, led by quarterback Will Howard and his 2,860 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, is a proven force that hasn’t slowed down all season. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and his 934 yards and 10 TDs and running back Quinshon Judkins with his 805 yards and 8 TDs just add to the arsenal.

At the other end of the field, Texas leans heavily on QB Quinn Ewers with his 2,665 passing yards and 25 touchdowns and running back Quintrevion Wisner and his 863 rushing yards.

Both teams have the tools to get the job done, but will they come together at the right time?

Ohio State’s Strengths

Ohio State’s offense thrives in both the air and on the ground. They’ve averaged 263.4 passing yards per game which is good for 45th nationally and 432.5 total yards which is good for 37th. Against two elite defenses in the playoff so far — Oregon and Tennessee — the Buckeyes scored a combined 77 points. They’re simply a nightmare for opposing secondaries and they know how to get the job done. Jeremiah Smith seems as if he’s virtually unguardable, stretching defenses and creating mismatches all down the field.

Defensively, Ohio State is fairly strong as well. They rank 48th in points allowed with 169 which makes it tough for teams to mount a comeback. Their steady pass rush, coupled with disciplined tackling, forces opponents into mistakes — something Texas simply can’t afford to do in this matchup.

Texas’ Challenge

Texas is coming into this game strong as well. They are ranked 24th in total offense, producing 443.9 yards per game, but inconsistency is really what has plagued them.

While Quinn Ewers has delivered in clutch moments, the Longhorns’ offense has a tendency to stall when it hurts them the most. Just take a look at their near-collapse against Arizona State. OSU is a much better team than ASU so they’ll have to turn up the heat if they want to keep pace.

Their defense, while decently competent, showed cracks last week, allowing big plays down the stretch. Containing Ohio State’s explosive offense will require a monumental effort to contain and that’s something we haven’t had the chance to see from Texas, yet. It’s not their fault, they just haven’t faced such a dynamic attack this season.

Prediction and Best Bet

It’s easy to see that Ohio State enters this game as the more complete team. They have an offense firing on all cylinders and a defense capable of timely stops. We won’t go as far as to say this game is lopsided, but in a few areas, it does feel that way.

Texas, while resilient and capable of hanging with the big boys, hasn’t shown the consistency needed to pull off the upset against a surging OSU.

We expect the Buckeyes to take advantage of mismatches in the passing game and wear down the Longhorns’ defense for a full 60 minutes of play.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Ohio State 38, Texas 24.

The best bet for this game is to back Ohio State at -6.5.

Their offensive momentum and Texas’ struggles in maintaining leads make this a pretty easy pick at -105.

We also like the over 55.5. Given Ohio State’s scoring ability and Texas’ potential to chip in some points late, we think these teams are going to blow right through that.

In the end, Ohio State punches its ticket to Atlanta for the CFP national championship to take on Notre Dame.