2025 Cotton Bowl Betting Lines - Ohio State vs. Texas

Cotton Bowl Lines - College Football Playoff Semifinal

The Final Four of College Football includes a Cotton Bowl matchup that could prove to be among the best in history. The Texas Longhorns will face the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At first glance, the Cotton Bowl would seem to be a virtual home game for the Longhorns. But there will be a strong contingent of fans wearing Ohio State scarlet and gray in the crowd. Most importantly, fans and gamblers will be treated to teams coming of epic wins. Texas overcame a double overtime challenge by beating Arizona State in clutch fashion. Meanwhile, Ohio State decimated #1 ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl to flash its powerhouse credentials.

2025 Cotton Bowl at a Glance

Date: Friday, January 10, 2025

Time (ET) / TV: 7:30 PM / ESPN

Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Matchup: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns

College Football Betting Lines

Ohio State Buckeyes -6

Texas Longhorns +6

Over/Under: 53

Money Line: Ohio State -227, Texas +189

Cotton Bowl Preview

Last game, the Ohio State Buckeyes won 41-21 against the Oregon Ducks as 2.5-point favorites. The game went over the total of 55.5. Ohio State has a record of 12-2 straight up, 6-6 against the spread, and 5-7 over/under the total. Ohio State ranks 31st for total offense, 31st for passing, 58th for rushing, and 11th for scoring. Defensively they rank 1st overall, 1st against the pass, 4th against the rush, and 1st for points allowed. Also, Ohio State ranks 27th for fewest turnovers lost and 83rd for takeaways.

Last game, the Texas Longhorns won 39-31 against the Arizona State Sun Devils as 13.5-point favorites. The game went over the total of 52. Texas has a record of 13-2 straight up, 7-5 against the spread, and 4-7-1 over/under the total. Texas ranks 21st for total offense, 17th for passing, 65th for rushing and 22nd for scoring. Defensively they rank 3rd overall, 3rd against the pass, 14th against the rush, and 4th for points allowed. Also, Texas ranks 129th for fewest turnovers lost and 3rd for takeaways.

Cotton Bowl Prediction

In this situation, Texas is running into a rampaging juggernaut. Ohio State has become the monster that everyone was expecting in the regular season.

Cotton Bowl Format

The Cotton Bowl began in 1937, and the matchup currently features schools in the College Football Playoff. The game takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the previous venue for this contest was the Cotton Bowl in Dallas from 1937-2009. This game was named the Mobil Cotton Bowl, Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic, SBC Communications Cotton Bowl Classic, and AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic before Goodyear obtained sponsorship rights in 2015.

Cotton Bowl Past Results

The Texas Longhorns have the most Cotton Bowl appearances with 22, but their overall record in the game is just 11-10-1. Texas A&M has the second-most appearances with 13, and they are just 5-8 in the game. Although Texas has the most wins in the game with 11, they also have the most losses with 10. The team with the best winning percentage in the game is Penn State, as they are 3-0-1 in the Cotton Bowl.

Last year, to wrap up the 2023 season, the Missouri Tigers upset the Ohio State Buckeyes 14-3 in a New Year's Eve edition of the Cotton Bowl.

From the get-go, the Buckeyes' chances were in doubt. After the regular season, they lost their starting quarterback, Kyle McCord, to the NCAA Transfer Portal and had their best player, Marvin Harrison Jr., opt out of the game.

That said, this was not the Michigan or Penn State defense that Ohio State was facing. It was a remarkably average Missouri defense that was missing its two best players, Ennis Rakestraw and Ty'Ron Hopper.

And even without the two Missouri stars on the other side, Buckeyes starter Devin Brown looked lost. And when he went out, Lincoln Kienholz was even worse.

The Buckeyes' offensive line didn't help the matter, allowing four sacks and battering both quarterbacks throughout the night.

Even TreVeyon Henderson, who started the game with 50 yards on 11 carries, couldn't find an inch of space, gaining just 21 yards on his next eight carries and finishing with just 72 yards.

And the vaunted Ohio State defense? It did everything it could. But without any help from the offense, it, too, eventually ran out of gas and allowed Missouri to rack up 14 fourth-quarter points to put the game away.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NCAA Football Betting Odds, NCAA Football Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!