Following another excellent round of College Football Playoff action, two dynamic teams are set to tangle as the Texas Longhorns square off against the Ohio State Buckeyes. While the two squads are slated to meet at AT&T Stadium this Thursday, their paths in the CFP have been fairly different. Ohio State entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and have just dismantled their opponents to the tune of a combined margin of victory of 45 points over the likes of Tennessee (42-17) and Oregon (41-21). Meanwhile, Texas cruised past Clemson, 38-24 in the opening round, but then narrowly defeated Arizona State in a 39-31 two-overtime thriller. The Longhorns no doubt are happy they scraped by against the Sun Devils, but now have an even tougher matchup against the Buckeyes. Nonetheless, both squads are extremely talented and this will be a great battle.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from the latest gaming news and notes coming from the world of college football along with some additional notes from SBS.
Coming into this game, Texas had put together a sensational season. During the regular portion of the campaign, the Longhorns established a record of 11-1, including a mark of 7-1 in conference play, losing only to the Georgia Bulldogs. With that record, Texas qualified for the SEC Championship Game but then lost a rematch to the Dawgs. Nonetheless, ranked third in the final CFP poll, the Longhorns received the fifth seed in the playoff field. As noted above, Texas went on to defeat Clemson in the first-round game and advance to the Peach Bowl, taking their season record to 12-2.
In their last contest, Texas squared off against a scrappy and talented Arizona State team that took them to the limit. After storming out to a 17-3 lead at halftime, the Longhorns were already getting their travel plans ready for Dallas when the tide started to turn. Thanks to two straight touchdown scores from ASU’s dynamic running back Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils were able to tie the game in the final period. That said, Skattebo would then go on to score again in overtime in what looked to be a triumphant ASU comeback, but Texas had other ideas.
Down to their final play in overtime, Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers found his talented wide receiver Matthew Golden for a 28-yard touchdown score. The following overtime possession, Ewers again threw a fantastic pass, this time to Gunnar Helm in what turned out to be the game-clinching score for the Longhorns. With victory in hand, Texas now returns back to the Lone Star State to battle the Buckeyes in what could be the most talented squad they have played since Georgia.
An imposing team, the Buckeyes have had an excellent postseason run from 2024 into 2025. In the 2025 edition of the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, Ohio State blitzed the high-flying Oregon Ducks, 41-21. In this contest, quarterback Will Howard was sensational, throwing for 319 yards along with three passing scores. However, the true star of the game was wide receiver Jeremiah Smith who continually torched the Oregon defense, recording 187 yards and two scores in the contest. While the Ducks did end up making the score respectable in the end, this was only after the Buckeyes had stormed out to a 34-0 lead over the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. Of course, Ryan Day’s squad clearly learned from their first matchup against Oregon earlier this year which was a tight showdown that saw the Ducks narrowly win in Eugene, 32-31.
Entering this last contest, Ohio State was 9-7 in prior Rose Bowl appearances, with the most recent appearance coming in 2022, a three-point victory over the Utah Utes. Like Texas, the Buckeyes have had a stellar year, notching an overall record of 12-2 following the win over Oregon and the first-round victory against the Vols. Additionally, Ohio State’s losses to Oregon and archrival Michigan were by a total of four points.
This game will be a fun and fantastic contest, but take Ohio State to win here. Given how dominant they have been in this recent stretch, the Buckeyes have not really slowed down at all this postseason and should score the win here and advance to the national championship.
After you are all up to speed in relation to the latest gaming news and notes coming from the world of college football, make sure to peruse the excellent array of info for you at SBS. Of course, for even more info on the topic at hand, the college football betting sites rundown has your back where you can find all of the latest betting markets related to the sport. Additionally, for those who are eligible and qualify, the best bonus betting sites guide is an excellent resource. Here, you can find an array of helpful information like a catalogue of the latest and greatest welcome bonus offers. Finally, for those looking for some higher-stakes wagering options, look no further than the VIP sports betting sites breakdown which goes over some excellent options for those looking for some higher-stakes wagering outlets and beyond.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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