ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas and Ohio State will kick off against each other on Jan. 10 from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in AT&T Stadium.
The winner advances to the national championship in Atlanta.
It’s the highest stakes in the history of this matchup between the two blue-blood college football programs. In fact, it’ll be the first time they’ve played each other in over 15 years, back when Mack Brown and Jim Tressel led the teams.
Texas and Ohio State have played a total of three times in their history, with the Longhorns holding a 2-1 edge. Here is a look at the series history.
- Jan. 5, 2009: Texas 24, Ohio State 21 (neutral; Glendale, Ariz.)
- Sept. 11, 2006: Texas 7, Ohio State 24 (Austin, Texas)
- Sept. 10, 2005: Texas 25, Ohio State 22 (Columbus, Ohio)
Texas vs. Ohio State history | Vince Young mounts 4th quarter comeback in top five matchup
One of the most-anticipated games of the 2005 season came in Week 2: No. 2 Texas versus No. 4 Ohio State at The Horseshoe.” It was very unusual back then for schools to schedule non-conference games of such a high caliber, but this game served as a springboard opportunity for each school to bolster its resume to make the BCS National Championship game, which Texas would later do and win arguably the best college football game ever played.
This 4th quarter comeback by Texas QB Vince Young and the crew was crucial for that to happen, however.
The game was tightly contested through halftime, with the Buckeyes holding a slight 16-13 edge at the break. Ohio State, led by QB Troy Smith, increased their lead to 22-16 entering the fourth quarter. Young led Texas on a seven-play, 67-yard touchdown drive to take a 23-22 lead with just over two minutes to go.
The game was put on ice after Smith was sacked for a safety by Aaron Harris with 19 seconds left in the game. Ohio State attempted an onside kick, but Texas recovered it and took a knee to end the game.
Texas vs. Ohio State history | Buckeyes take down defending national champion Longhorns in Austin
Since Texas and Ohio State had scheduled a home-and-home series for their non-conference schedules, the 2006 season saw the Longhorns and Buckeyes square off again, but this time in Austin. Texas was ranked No. 2 in the nation, fresh off their national championship win against USC, but without their Heisman-winning quarterback, Vince Young.
It was the start of a new era under redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy.
Ohio State came into Austin as the No. 1 ranked team in both the AP and coaches polls. It was the only the 36th time in NCAA history where the No. 1 team and No. 2 team in the nation had played each other in the regular season, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.
Unlike the 2005 matchup in Columbus, the 2006 game was a dominant road win for the Buckeyes. This game also spawned a national championship attendee — Ohio State went on to lose to Urban Meyer’s Florida squad, led by quarterbacks Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.
This 24-7 Buckeyes win also ended Texas’ 21-game winning streak, which was the longest in the nation at the time. The Longhorns also had a nine-game winning streak against ranked opponents that was broken.
Texas vs. Ohio State history | Longhorns edge Buckeyes in 2009 Fiesta Bowl
Texas played against No. 10 ranked Ohio State in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl after being snubbed from the BCS National Championship in lieu of their rival, Oklahoma, who they’d beaten earlier in the year in the Red River Rivalry. Texas lost, though, to Texas Tech (thanks to Michael Crabtree), who in turn lost to Oklahoma, creating a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings (all 7-1 in conference).
Ohio State was chosen as an at-large school after losing the right to play in the Rose Bowl due to their 13-6 loss to Penn State.
The 2009 Fiesta Bowl was probably the most entertaining game of all three.
McCoy had a monster game, throwing 58 times in the game for 414 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner. Ohio State was led by running back Chris “Beanie” Wells and quarterback Terrelle Pryor Sr. Ohio State dominated the ground game, rushing 39 times for 203 yards as a team.
Pryor Sr. lined up all over the field, including running back and split out as a wide receiver, where he actually caught a five-yard jump ball for a touchdown to narrow the Buckeye deficit to 15-17. Ohio State scored another touchdown (and failed two-point conversion) to take a 21-17 lead with 2:05 left in the game.
Then, McCoy led Texas on an 11-play, 78-yard drive to win the game with 16 seconds left. McCoy connected with Quan Cosby on a 26-yard slant to cap the game off and win 24-21. A last-ditch Hail Mary was batted down by the Longhorns defense.
Texas Longhorns history playing in AT&T Stadium: 2-2
- Dec. 5, 2009: No. 3 Texas 13, No. 22 Nebraska 12 (2009 Big 12 Championship)
- Sept. 13, 2014: Texas 17, No. 12 UCLA 20
- Dec. 1, 2018: No. 14 Texas 27, No. 5 Oklahoma 39 (2018 Big 12 Championship)
- Dec. 2, 2023: No. 7 Texas 49, No. 18 Oklahoma State 21 (2023 Big 12 Championship)
Ohio State Buckeyes history playing in AT&T Stadium: 3-1
- Jan. 12, 2015: No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20 (2015 College Football Playoff National Championship)
- Dec. 29, 2017: Ohio State 24, USC 7 (2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic)
- Sept. 15, 2018: No. 6 Ohio State 40, TCU 28
- Dec. 29, 2023: Ohio State 3, Missouri 14 (2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic)
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