Ohio State vs Texas Free Picks, Free College Football Picks, College Football Predictions 1/10/24

OHIO STATE vs. TEXAS (OSU -6, 53.5)

CFB ODDS, CFB PREDICTIONS, CFB PREVIEWS

Ohio State vs Texas Free Picks, Free College Football Picks, College Football Predictions 1/10/24

BUCKEYES @ LONGHORNS 1/10/25

The 2025 Cotton Bowl features two of the most successful football programs in college history and the two will vie for a spot in the College Football Playoff national title game against Notre Dame on Jan. 20. The Irish won last night’s semi-final, beating Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl.

The spotlight will be on the quarterbacks as No. 5 Texas (13-2) and No. 8 Ohio State (12-2) battle in Friday night's semi-final in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State's Will Howard has past experience with Texas from his time at Kansas State. He failed to beat the Longhorns in four attempts. On the other side, Quinn Ewers of Texas began his journey with the Buckeyes before returning to his home state.

Howard expressed his motivation to finally overcome the Longhorns after previous missed opportunities, while Ewers reflected positively on his time with Ohio State and his decision to come back to Texas.

Though officially a neutral location, this Cotton Bowl match leans towards being a home game for Texas. However, the Buckeyes have a favorable history at AT&T Stadium, boasting a 3-1 record including a triumphant 42-20 win over Oregon in 2015's inaugural College Football Playoff national championship.

The Longhorns have a tough task to handle the Buckeyes' powerful receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, who together have 2,120 yards and 24 touchdown receptions this season. The Ohio State onslaught was on full display when they thrashed No.1 Oregon 41-21 in the CFP quarterfinal, with Howard producing a 319-yard performance and Smith catching two touchdowns.

Another key factor is whether Texas can kickstart their running game after a poor 1.8 yards average in their quarterfinal double-overtime win against Arizona State. Texas coach, Steve Sarkisian, underscored the importance of a balanced running game to the team's success.

Ohio State, on the other hand, will likely seek to establish an early lead, something they've done effectively in their previous playoff games. The two traditional powers have played just twice since 2006. The Buckeyes won 24-7 in 2006. Texas won 24-21 in 2009. Ohio State covered the spread in both games.

As state, tonight’s winner will face seventh-seeded Notre Dame in the CFP championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

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COACH RICK FREE PICK:

WILL HOWARD 225+ PASSING YARDS

Ohio State’s offense has been virtually unstoppable in the playoffs. Howard threw for 311 yards against Tennessee and 319 against Oregon. He’s cleared this number in 4 of his last 6 games and in 9 of the Buckeyes 14 games this season. Texas ranks fourth in the nation in passing defense allowing 166.1 yards per game. Sam Leavitt of Arizona State threw for 222 last week and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik carved up the Longhorns for 336.