Will Howard and the Ohio State football team emphatically punched their ticket into the College Football Playoff semifinals on Wednesday as the Buckeyes demolished top seeded Oregon. The Ducks never had an answer for Ohio State as things quickly got out of hand, and Oregon was never able to get back in it. The Buckeyes ended up winning the game 41-21, and they will now take on Texas in the Cotton Bowl CFP semifinal.
Both Ohio State and Texas found a way to get to the semis, but their games on Wednesday couldn't have been more different. The Buckeyes dominated from start to finish while the Longhorns let their big lead slip away, and they needed overtime to vanquish Arizona State.
Now, Ohio State and Texas will meet in a clash between two of college football's most iconic brands. For Will Howard, this is a chance for him to accomplish something that he was never able to do in the Big 12: beat the Longhorns.
“There was one team that I never beat in the Big 12, and it was Texas,” Howard said after the game. “So I'm really looking forward to this game, man. I played them four times, you know, definitely have some feelings about them. And you know the way that we lost last year, we lost in overtime down there, I'm excited to get a crack at these guys, man. They're a great football team, and you know I didn't even know they won during the game. I thought it was over, that's crazy. But, you know, I'm excited, that'll be fun.”
Howard is right, that should be a fun one. However, we thought that Ohio State-Tennessee and Ohio State-Oregon would be fun, and it certainly was for the Buckeyes. For college football fans watching around the country? Not so much. Ohio State has been so dominant that their College Football Playoff matchups have been snoozers. Buckeyes fans aren't complaining one bit.
The Ohio State football team is one win away from making it to the national championship, and while he didn't need any, Will Howard has some extra motivation headed into this semifinal matchup against Texas.
Ohio State and Texas will kick off the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 ET on January 10th from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the game will be airing on ESPN. The Buckeyes are currently favored by 6.5 points.