Ohio State vs. Texas: College Football Picks, Prediction for 2025 Cotton Bowl
The last College Football Playoff semifinal game is Friday, January 10, as Ohio State takes on Texas in the 2025 Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Below, we’ll give you the best Cotton Bowl picks and predictions for Ohio State vs. Texas for CFB DFS to use in your PrizePicks Lineup.
Ohio State (12-2) has steamrolled through its first two Playoff games, out-scoring its opponents 83-38. Texas (13-2) has been tested in both games, specifically last week against Arizona State, where the Longhorns lost a 17-3 first-half lead and had to win double overtime.
When you combine the Cotton Bowl picks and predictions below, it allows you to build a lineup to 14.5x your money!
The winner of this game will advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 20 to face the winner of Thursday’s Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame.
For more college football picks and predictions throughout the College Football Playoff and bowl games, stay tuned to the Playbook for picks and predictions on all the bowl and CFB Playoff games.
CFB DFS Picks for 2025 Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas
Here are the best 2025 Cotton Bowl picks and predictions for Ohio State vs. Texas in the CFB Playoff Semifinal on Friday, January 10, 2025.
- Where to watch 2025 Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas
- Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson 59.5 Rushing Yards – More (Demon)
- Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith 85.5 Receiving Yards — More
- Texas RB Quintrevion Wisner 63.5 Rushing Yards — Less
- Texas QB Quinn Ewers 238.5 Passing Yards — Less
- 2025 Cotton Bowl Prediction
🏈 Find the picks for the 2025 Orange Bowl, Penn State vs. Notre Dame here.
Cotton Bowl 2025: Where to Watch Ohio State vs. Texas
Below, find when the Cotton Bowl 2025 starts on January 10 and where to watch Ohio State vs. Texas.
Date: Friday, January 10, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff
Location: AT&T Stadium. Arlington, Tex.
Where to Watch: ESPN
Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson 59.5 Rushing Yards — More (Demon)
The key for Ohio State is to balance the run and the pass, and it has worked beautifully over the last two games. RB TreVeyon Henderson has been the lead back for the Buckeyes the last couple of seasons, but this year, he has been in a committee with Quinshon Judkins.
Without the wear and tear, he’s looked as good as his breakout freshman year, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. With the NFL Draft looming, he’s showing off with 9.6 yards per carry and four touchdowns in the CFB Playoff.
Texas is an excellent rush defense, allowing 111.8 yards per game (12th), but we saw them break down in the second half against Arizona State, and Cam Skattebo put up great numbers. Henderson will hit his total as long as Ohio State stays committed to the run.
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith 85.5 Receiving Yards — More
He hasn’t finished his first season in college, but if he could declare for the NFL Draft today, you can argue that Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is a top-10 pick. He has all the tools of an NFL wide receiver: size, quick feet, a great route tree, and sure hands.
He’s been showing it all off during the postseason with 22.2 yards per reception and four touchdowns in two games. He gets a brutal matchup against the best-rated coverage unit, according to Pro Football Focus (92.5). Your confidence would diminish if he hadn't faced two top 30-rated teams, including Oregon, who was sixth, where he just went for 187 receiving yards.
What makes it challenging to defend Ohio State is that it’s a pick-your-poison situation. If you want to concentrate on shutting down Smith, you must worry about WR Emeka Egbuka, a high-end NFL Draft prospect this year. Then, there is still defending the run with the threat of Henderson catching passes.
Smith is a special player, and no matter how Texas schemes, he will get his.
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Texas RB Quintrevion Wisner 63.5 Rushing Yards — Less
RB Quintrevion Wisner became the Longhorns’ lead running back as the season progressed, and it was well deserved as he finished with 1,200+ yards from scrimmage.
The leg injury will be a lingering question for him throughout this game. He suffered it in the first half against Clemson and saw limited action afterward, but they didn’t need to push him because they held a significant lead. They did need him in that game against Arizona State, but you could tell he wasn’t 100% and finished with 45 rushing yards on 18 carries.
The Sun Devils were great against the run and ranked 14th in defensive rush EPA. If Arizona State is a buzzsaw run defense, then Ohio State is a buzzsaw on fire. They are third in rush defense EPA and fourth in rushing yards allowed per game (92.6).
The Buckeyes have also been great against the run in the playoff; they kept Tennessee under four yards per carry, and even when ignoring Oregon QB Dillion Garbriel’s -43 rushing yards, Oregon only had 21 yards on 15 carries.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers 238.5 Passing Yards — Less
There are things that Texans QB Quinn Ewers does well that have made him a successful quarterback in college. The biggest problem — and where we’ve seen his faults — is when he faces pressure. In both games against Georgia, the Bulldogs applied pressure to the Texas offensive line and forced Ewers to move out of the pocket. That’s how they were able to beat them twice.
Ewers has a 52.4 completion percentage, 6.4 yards per attempt, and a 3:4 TD: INT ratio when under pressure this season.
Now he has to face some of the better edge rushers in the nation, featuring DE JT Tuimoloau (10 sacks), DE Jack Sawyer (8 sacks), and LB Cody Simon (7 sacks). Ohio State was No. 1 in sack percentage (11.2%), No. 3 in sacks per game (3.4), and Texas is 83rd in sacks allowed per game (2.3), and Ewers has been sacked 11 times in his last three games.
Ewers should be under constant pressure in this game, and it’d be surprising to see him get to this passing yards number.
2025 Cotton Bowl Prediction: Ohio State 38, Texas 17
You look at the stats for both teams and just the eye test; not only is Ohio State a better team in this game, but it is the best remaining team in the CFB Playoff.
Offensively, the Buckeyes can beat you through the air or on the ground, and there are multiple players who are going to be playing on Sundays. Defensively, they are one of the best in the nation with the No. 1 net defensive EPA. They look like the clear best team left in the Playoff.
Texas has gotten some luck in the last two games, but this is their best opponent. The Buckeyes run away with another one in the Cotton Bowl.
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There are plenty of player projections to cash in on for the Ohio State vs. Texas matchup in the Cotton Bowl on PrizePicks — the picks above are only a base that you can build on.
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