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Two of the winningest programs in college football history go toe-to-toe when No. 8 Ohio State faces No. 5 Texas in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night.

The winner will book a date against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff national championship in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

ODDS & TRENDS
The Buckeyes (12-2) are consensus 6.0-point favorites after dominating No. 1 Oregon in the semifinals. However, it’s Texas (13-2) that has been backed by 54 percent of the money and 71 percent of the total bets at BetRivers, where the line was 6.5 on Friday morning.

The book reported that the Longhorns have failed to cover the spread in six consecutive games against Top 15-ranked teams played at neutral sites. Texas is 8-7 against the spread this season, while Ohio State is 8-6.

The public is heavily supporting the Buckeyes to win the game outright, backing their -250 moneyline with 85 percent of the money and 84 percent of the total bets.

PROP PICKS
–Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith Over 86.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM): Smith has 70 catches for 1,224 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to lead the Buckeyes in all three categories. His chemistry with quarterback Will Howard has steadily improved, and Smith has caught 13 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns through Ohio State’s first two CFP games.

–Over 53.3 Total Points (-109 at BetRivers): The Over has been backed by 63 percent of the money, and each of Texas’ past five games against non-conference opponents has hit the Over.

THE NEWS
Howard played against Texas when he was at Kansas State, but the Wildcats went 0-4 versus the Longhorns in those years. Texas’ Quinn Ewers, meanwhile, started his college career with the Buckeyes before transferring to his home state’s school.

“That was the only team I didn’t beat when I was in the Big 12,” Howard said. “There’s definitely a little extra motivation because I never got the chance to beat these guys, played them for four years. They’re always a good team, but I don’t think — none of those games were unwinnable. Last year we lost in overtime. So, definitely excited to get another chance at these guys.”

Ewers, who went to high school about 20 miles from AT&T Stadium at Southlake Carroll, has never faced his former team and only had positive things to say about his one semester with the Buckeyes.

“I don’t regret any decision I’ve made on going or anything like that, but the main reason I went was I felt like I had a great relationship with the coaching staff,” Ewers said of his time at Ohio State. “And they were winning a lot of games, and I wanted to go be a part of something like that.

“The reason that I came back to Texas was, one, to be closer to where I’m from and just closer to the resources that I have and the relationships that I’ve built over time just being from Texas.”

Despite the neutral site, this is a home game for Texas. Still, the Buckeyes have a 3-1 record at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, including a 42-20 win over Oregon in January 2015 to win the first College Football Playoff national championship.

Ten years later, Texas will need to contain Ohio State’s dynamic receiving corps led by Smith and Emeka Egbuka, who combined for 2,120 yards and 24 touchdown receptions. Each made 70 catches.

“Yeah, they’ve got an impressive group out at receiver,” Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “They’ve got four or five guys that are really dangerous. Obviously, Jeremiah is really good. Obviously, Emeka, No. 2, is elite. … They’ve got guys you’ve got to respect out there.”

In Ohio State’s 41-21 shellacking of No. 1 Oregon in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, Howard threw for 319 yards, with Smith hauling in seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Another question is whether Texas can get its running game going after averaging just 1.8 yards in its 39-31 double-overtime victory over Arizona State in the quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl. The Longhorns’ season average is 4.5 yards per attempt.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the running game issues this week.

“We’re at our best when we can run it,” he said. “That gives us balance. So, I’m hard-pressed not to kind of just walk away from it and abandon it. We’ve got to do a great job as a staff of putting together a good game plan and making sure that our players can execute it at a high level.”

Ohio State undoubtedly will be looking to get off to another fast start. The Buckeyes took a 34-8 lead into halftime against Ohio State and were up 21-0 after one quarter in their 42-17 win over No. 9 Tennessee in their first-round playoff game.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said the only motivation his team needs is simply staying alive in the championship race.

“One thing that does motivate our team is an opportunity for the team to play for another week together,” he said. “And this is a great group of guys that cares a lot about each other, have fun with each other. They love competing with each other. You can see the passion on the field when they get on the field. The way that this format is and the way the playoffs are set now, it allows us an opportunity to grow as a team and to learn and to get better and to peak late in the season.”

PREDICTION
Ohio State has looked like the best team in the country in routing Tennessee and Oregon in the CFP after losing to Michigan to end the regular season. Texas’ struggles in the ground game against Arizona State was a significant concern, and the Longhorns will struggle to keep pace for four quarters.

–Ohio State 27, Texas 23

–Field Level Media