AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 5 Texas Longhorns (13-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) continued their preparations for the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at a familiar location on Sunday.

Texas worked for approximately two hours under warm and sunny skies at Frank Denius Fields, in anticipation of Friday's matchup with the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
"Practice was amazing today," Texas senior DB Jahdae Barron said. "The weather was great, and we were working hard. We love the opportunity that is in front of us. We won't take anything for granted. It's a blessing to be back in the position we were in a year ago."

The Longhorns are coming off consecutive CFP victories including a 38-24 first-round win over Clemson and a 39-31 double overtime victory over Arizona State at the CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Texas is making its second-consecutive appearance in the CFP Semifinals. The Horns will be aiming for a different result this time around after falling to Washington last season, one step short of playing for a national championship.

While the stakes of a top-10 matchup and a berth in the CFP National Championship Game are high, Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian says that he is more focused on the opportunities the game presents for his team and the Longhorn Nation.

"I think of this as more of a great opportunity to play in the Cotton Bowl and the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff against an unbelievable opponent in Ohio State," Sarkisian said during a media opportunity on Friday. "They've got a great fan base. They're going to travel. I've played against them in the Rose Bowl and different opportunities.

"So, their fans travel really, really well. And so the challenge for us is to stay composed in that arena. The challenge for our fans is to show up, buy tickets, and support us so that we can make it as tough an environment as we can.

"Because like I said, we're going to need all those factors in this game. This is the best team in college football, and we're going to have to make sure that we put our best forward to give ourselves a chance to win the game."

Texas will continue its prep on campus prior to traveling the short distance to Arlington on Wednesday afternoon.

The 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Friday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 6:45 p.m.

This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the 11th straight year. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit are set to the call the action from the booth with Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines. ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the 11th consecutive year with Marc Kestecher and Kelly Stouffer in the booth and Ian Fitzsimmons and Quint Kessenich on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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