Ohio State vs. Texas Prediction & Odds: College Football Playoff

A College Football Playoff championship berth is on the line when Ohio State (12-2) and Texas (13-2) square off in the Cotton Bowl as part of the CFP semifinals at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 10, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In the CFP quarterfinals, No. 5-ranked Texas hung on to beat No. 4 Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime in what has been the most exciting matchup of playoffs thus far. Meanwhile, No. 8 Ohio State stunned top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, showing that the Buckeyes have fully recovered from their loss against Michigan to end the regular season.

The Buckeyes are 6.5-point favorites after that convincing win over the Ducks, and the Longhorns showed they have some weaknesses in that win over ASU despite being on track to win by a wide margin early on.

Here is a look at the latest Ohio State vs. Texas college football odds and my prediction for this CFP bout:

Ohio State vs. Texas Odds, Jan. 10

• Point spread: Ohio State -6.5 (-250)
• Total: 53.5

Ohio State vs. Texas Prediction – Friday, Jan. 10

Based on the latest college football betting lines at the BetMGM online sportsbook, my Ohio State vs. Texas prediction is to take the Longhorns’ moneyline (+200). I also project the game will go Over 53.5 total points.

There’s no doubt this Texas team looked vulnerable during the CFP quarterfinals. But Arizona State is much better than people are willing to give the team credit for, in my opinion. Texas also beat Clemson 38-24 in the first round of the CFP, which may give some reason for concern. But again, I also think Clemson isn’t a bad team.

I believe battling through close games will better prepare Texas for this moment and that quarterback Quinn Ewers, who has plenty of CFP experience, will thrive in this matchup. I also think Ohio State has been desperate to win more than any other team after falling against rival Michigan, and I expect the Buckeyes’ momentum to run out soon.

Ohio State has put up over 40 points in its last two contests against Oregon and Tennessee, and Texas has also scored at a high clip with 39 points against Arizona State and 38 against Clemson. So, I anticipate this will be a high-scoring tilt. And if it is, I like Texas to find a way to prevail.

Prediction: Texas Moneyline (+200)