DALLAS - The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) arrived in Texas Wednesday evening as the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is less than 48 hours away.
 
Ohio State will face the No. 5 Texas Longhorns (13-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) Friday night at AT&T Stadium with a berth in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on the line.
 
Exactly one week after earning a berth to the semifinal round after a dominant performance over No. 1 Oregon, the Buckeyes are excited to be in Texas, squarely locked in on Friday's matchup with the immediate urgency the playoffs bring.
 
"Our focus is Texas," said Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. "That was our focus immediately after the clock ran out at the Rose Bowl. You've got to win each week to continue to play as a group, and that's been our motivation, that this team is extremely close and can we stay together for one more week. So we jumped on a plane in Ohio after practice today, got here, and we'll get situated, get something to eat and go to bed. Tomorrow we're going to have a really good day of meetings and practice, then get ready to kick it off Friday night."
 
Ohio State's defense has been outstanding this season, yielding just over 12 points per game. In pitching a shutout in the first quarter of the first two playoff games while allowing only two total touchdowns in the first half, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is extremely pleased with the units' play at the most important time of the season.
 
"This is where you want to be," Knowles said. "We're playing our best ball right now. We're operating efficiently, guys are understanding the plan, and they're executing the plan. This is where we want to be."
 
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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