Texas vs Ohio State Odds & Picks CFP: Bet On Buckeyes In Cotton Bowl

Ohio State has rolled through the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff, winning both at home and at a neutral site. Now the Buckeyes must do it in what amounts to a de facto road game—a Jan. 10 semifinal in the Cotton Bowl in metro Dallas, against a Texas Longhorns squad that opened as a 6.5-point underdog.

The Buckeyes have covered both of their playoff games thus far in impressive fashion—obliterating 7.5-point underdog Tennessee 42-17 in Columbus, and then trucking top-seeded and previously unbeaten Oregon 41-21 as a 2.5-point favorite in the Rose Bowl. Texas’ 38-24 first-round victory over 13.5-point road underdog Clemson marked just its second cover in five games, and the Longhorns then edged 13.5-point underdog Arizona State in double overtime in the Peach Bowl.

Texas vs Ohio State Odds

Matchup Page: Texas vs Ohio State, Jan. 10, 7:30 pm ET

Odds as of Jan. 2 at FanDuel

Texas vs Ohio State Picks—College Football Playoff Cotton bowl

Ohio State (-5.5) & OVER 53.5 (-110) at FanDuel

The Longhorns opened the season with five covers in their first six games, but have managed just three ATS victories since. Texas has a penchant for simply allowing opponents to hang around—which it did against the likes of Mississippi State, Arkansas and Kentucky in the regular season, and certainly did in the CFP quarters against the Sun Devils. Arizona State trailed 24-8, but rallied to tie and was one fourth-down stop in overtime from winning the game.

Meanwhile, Ohio State has shown the epitome of a killer instinct, jumping all over the Volunteers and Ducks early and making it academic well before the final horn. Take away the Jedi mind trick that Michigan pulled in the Horseshoe, and the Buckeyes have covered in five of six, with the outlier a 24-point victory against a 28-point line at Northwestern. Ryan Day’s team is pummeling every opponent whose logo doesn’t include a Block M.

The wild card in the semifinal, though, is the location deep in the heart of Texas. Will all those Ohio State fans who sold their tickets for the Tennessee game show up in force in Arlington? Probably, given how tantalizingly close the Buckeyes are now to a national title. But it also shouldn’t matter—that blowout of Oregon, which beat Ohio State by one point at home during the regular season, spoke volumes. The best team in this playoff unquestionably wears scarlet and gray.

Both the Longhorns and Buckeyes have gone OVER in their first two playoff games—Texas because it’s allowed 24 and 31 points, Ohio State because it’s put up 42 and 41. We’ll stick with those trends in the Cotton Bowl, against a total that’s right in line with what both teams faced in their quarterfinal matchups.

Texas vs Ohio State News

The Longhorns saw two members of its defensive secondary leave the field with injuries in the second half against Arizona State. Safety Michael Taaffe went out after taking a big hit from Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo, while cornerback Malik Muhammad also left the game and was taken to the locker room. Both players ultimately returned, which bodes well for their availability in Dallas. Texas receiver Isaiah Bond, who missed the first-round game against Clemson with a sprained ankle, returned to action against Arizona State, though he didn’t record a catch.

Ohio State vs Oregon Prop Bet: Jeremiah Smith Anytime TD 

The big freshman receiver has always been a top target of Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, but lately he’s also been a scoring machine. Smith has five touchdowns over his past three games, including two in an epic seven-catch, 187-yard performance against the Ducks. The Longhorns can have their issues in the secondary, as Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik showed in his 336-yard, three-TD effort in the opening round.

Texas vs Ohio State Betting Trends