Texas vs Ohio State rating right this moment: Reside updates, highlights from CFP semifinal – Austin American-Statesman

After narrowly escaping Arizona State within the Faculty Soccer Playoff quarterfinals, Texas football continues its march towards this system’s first championship recreation since 2010 in a semifinal against Ohio State Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Seeded fifth, the Longhorns are underdogs against the No. 8 Buckeyes, which marks the primary time since a September 2023 journey to Alabama that the Longhorns aren’t the favourite. Texas boasts a veteran squad competing in its second consecutive CFP that’s led by a three-year beginning quarterback in Quinn Ewers. However a well-rounded Ohio State squad anchored by the nation’s No. 1 protection has picked up steam within the postseason whereas walloping Tennessee and top-seede Oregon.
The winner of this recreation will advance to the CFP ultimate at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Jan. 20 towards both Notre Dame or Penn State.
Comply with alongside right here for updates:
This part will probably be up to date when the sport begins
Extra:Texas football vs Ohio State: UT defense facing another mobile quarterback in Will Howard
In a sit-down interview between Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ewers mentioned that he doesn’t anticipate to play faculty soccer subsequent season. Ewers, a three-year starter for the Longhorns, does have a yr of collegiate eligibility left however has indicated since final spring that the 2024 marketing campaign would possible be his ultimate collegiate season.
Till the published of the interview with Thamel Saturday, Ewers had not made any particular assertion on his future. Sophomore Arch Manning, a backup the previous two seasons, is predicted to imagine the beginning function subsequent season for Texas.
May Texas use Will Stone at kicker instead of Bert Auburn? It is positively a risk primarily based on Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s feedback earlier within the week in addition to some media experiences stating Stone will get the beginning.
“We’ll monitor that factor via pregame and decide and go,” Sarkisian informed reporters throughout media availability Thursday.
Texas kicker Bert Auburn is the college’s all-time chief in made discipline targets and he has been answerable for a team-high 112 factors this season. Auburn, although, is simply 16-for-25 on his discipline targets this season, and that 64% success price ranks one hundred and fifth nationally. Auburn has missed 4 discipline targets in his final three video games, and two of these misses occurred within the ultimate two minutes of the Peach Bowl’s fourth quarter on Jan. 1 while Texas was attempting to break.
If Texas does bench Auburn, Stone could be his logical substitute. An Austin native and a Texas junior, Stone has by no means tried a discipline purpose on the collegiate stage. However Stone has dealt with kickoff duties for Texas for the previous three seasons and is on scholarship. Stone made a 54-yard discipline purpose during his senior season at Regents High in 2021.
Texas’ recreation vs. Ohio State in a CFP semifinal will probably be broadcast on ESPN. Streaming choices for the sport embody ESPN+ and Fubo, which is offering a free trial for its streaming service.
Extra:Texas vs Ohio State: Longtime Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers reflects on his time as a Buckeye
Thomas Jones, Texas beat author
Ohio State 27, Texas 25
TEXAS GETS THE BOOT
The Longhorns could have home-field benefit, however the shaky particular groups will show the distinction in a recreation that options as many as two dozen gamers that would go within the 2025 NFL draft. Don’t be shocked if some fourth-down calls by Sarkisian in crucial moments of the sport mirror his concern within the kicking recreation.
Cedric Golden, Columnist
Texas 34, Ohio State 30 
QUINN MIGHTY AGAIN FOR TEXAS
Quinn Ewers saved the season towards Arizona State and if Texas can get a semblance of a run recreation going towards the No. 5 dashing protection within the nation, it can open up this offense for Ewers to make the play-action recreation click on. It’s a fourth-quarter recreation and the Horns will pull it off.
Danny Davis, Texas beat author
Texas
SPECIAL WIN FOR TEXAS
Each Texas and Ohio State have nice defenses and offensive standouts, so this can be a coin flip for me. The Longhorns will shock the world and Vegas oddsmakers. Not by profitable (a No. 5 seed beating a No. 8 seed shouldn’t be an upset), however by making a play on particular groups to safe a visit to the nationwide championship recreation.
David Eckert, Texas insider
Ohio State 31, Texas 24 
BALANCING ACT ENOUGH FOR OHIO STATE
Ohio State is the extra balanced group on this matchup, and that’ll be the explanation the Buckeyes depart Arlington with a victory. Texas has leaned on its dominant protection to compensate for an underperforming and mistake-prone offense and misfiring particular groups unit, however that hasn’t been sufficient in the one two video games the Longhorns have performed towards a group with comparable athleticism and dimension. 
Sport traces and odds from BetMGM as of Friday:
Texas: RB CJ Baxter (out), RB Christian Clark (out), RB Velton Gardner (out), DB Derek Williams Jr. (out), QB Trey Owens (out), OL Cam Williams (questionable), WR Isaiah Bond (possible).
Ohio State: OL Zen Michalski (out), WR Reis Stocksdale (out), RB Rashid SeSay (out), OL Seth McLaughlin, OL Josh Simmons (out), TE Jace Middleton (questionable), WR Nolan Baudo (questionable).
This recreation will probably be performed indoors, although North Texas is anticipating near-freezing temperatures.

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