Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks during a press conference at AT&T Stadium prior to the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 9, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 8 Ohio State and No. 5 Texas are both seeking a chance to end national title droughts -- the Buckeyes’ last national title was 10 years ago and Texas' last national title was 19 years ago. The winner of Friday night’s Cotton Bowl advances to the national title game to play Notre Dame on January 20.

Ahead of kickoff in the Cotton Bowl, get our expert predictions, best bets, and analysis ahead of kickoff between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns.

Ohio State takes on Texas in the Cotton Bowl, which serves as a semifinal in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are favored.

SportsLine's model simulated the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal Cotton Bowl matchup on Friday 10,000 times

Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day explains the honor of playing in the Cotton Bowl as the Buckeyes prepare to face off against the Texas Longhorns on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.

For the second straight game, Ohio State enters its College Football Playoff matchup as the lower seed but the betting favorite.

Coming into the College Football Playoff, there were still a lot of Ohio State Buckeyes fans who wanted to see head coach Ryan Day get fired. Those calls for his job have quieted down quite a bit after Ohio State dominated both Tennessee and Oregon over the last two games.

An Ohio State Buckeyes coach has shed some light on Ryan Day's demeanor after the team's devastating loss to the Michigan Wolverines.