No. 8 Ohio State punched its ticket to the nationwide title sport with a 28-14 victory over No. 5 Texas within the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes constructed an early 7-0 benefit on Quinshon Judkins’ 9-yard landing run, then closed the primary half with a display go that TreVeyon Henderson took 75 yards to the home. Regardless of trailing 14-7 at halftime, the Longhorns confirmed life within the third quarter behind Quinn Ewers, who linked twice with working again Jaydon Blue for landing receptions.

After Texas knotted the rating at 14-14, Ohio State’s Will Howard impressed with a crucial 88-yard scoring drive, capped by Judkins’ second landing for a 21-14 lead. With Texas threatening to tie on fourth-and-goal, defensive finish Jack Sawyer blindsided Ewers, scooped up the fumble, and sprinted 82 yards for a game-clinching landing.

Howard completed with 289 passing yards and one landing, whereas Judkins logged two speeding scores. Ewers threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns however was beneath stress all evening from Ohio State’s relentless line of defense. The Buckeyes compelled two key turnovers, together with Sawyer’s decisive fumble restoration, and held the Longhorns to only 58 speeding yards.

Ohio State now awaits a nationwide championship showdown with Notre Dame, hoping to say this system’s first title since 2014.