Tale of the Tape: Ohio State vs. Texas; Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl history

As you all know, we are big Ohio State football history buffs here at Bucknuts.com. Today, we will compare the history of the Ohio State and Texas football programs, look at the teams' past meetings and also examine OSU's history in bowl games in the Dallas Metroplex.

No. 8 seed Ohio State (12-2) will face No. 5 seed Texas (13-2) in the Cotton Bowl, which doubles as a College Football Playoff semifinal game. The game will be played Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The other semifinal game will be played Thursday night in the Orange Bowl as No. 6 seed Penn State (13-2) and No. 7 seed Notre Dame (13-1) will square off. The semifinal winners will play in the CFB Playoff national championship game on Mon., Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Ohio State and Texas have met only three times on the college gridiron previously with all of them between the 2005 and 2008 seasons. Texas holds a 2-1 edge in the series going into this game. Coincidentally, Ohio State is set to host Texas in the 2025 regular season opener on Sat., Aug. 30. Ohio State will visit Texas in 2026.

This will also mark the fifth time Ohio State will venture to the Dallas Metroplex for a postseason game. OSU played Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl following the 1986 season. The Buckeyes did not return to Big D until they played in the very first College Football Playoff national championship game against Oregon following the 2014 season.

Since then, OSU played in two more Cotton Bowls – one against USC following the 2017 season and the other last year against Missouri.

As we prepare for Friday's titanic struggle, we will look at how Ohio State and Texas match up in a variety of historical categories. Then, we will look at those three previous OSU-Texas games and OSU's four bowl games in the Dallas Metroplex.

We wanted to share some comparisons between these two great football powerhouses. Here are some categories where they stack up:

* All-Time Winning Percentage – Ohio State is No. 1 in all-time winning percentage at .735 (976-335-53). Texas is sixth in the FBS ranks at .704 (961-394-33).

* All-Time Wins – Ohio State is second all-time in wins (976), while Texas is fourth (961). Michigan is No. 1 with 1,012. Alabama is third with 974 and Notre Dame is tied with Texas for fourth.

* Bowl/Postseason Records – Texas is 33-26-2 all-time in bowl and postseason action, while OSU is 29-29.

* BCS/New Years' Six/Playoff Records – The BCS system was in place from 1998-2013, followed by the College Football Playoff and the New Years' Six from 2014 to the present. Over these last 26 seasons, Ohio State is 15-9 in BCS/NY6 bowl games and CFB Playoff games. Texas is 6-2 in BCS/NY6 bowls and CFB Playoff games since 1998.

Strictly in CFB Playoff games, Ohio State is making its sixth appearance and has a record of 5-4. Texas is back in the playoff for the second year in a row and has a record of 2-1.

* National Championships – Texas claims four consensus national titles and also has been mentioned as a "splinter" champion on five other occasions. Since the inception of The Associated Press poll in 1936, Texas has claimed three AP poll titles (1963, 1969 and 2005).

Ohio State claims six consensus national titles and two other "splinter" championships. OSU has won the AP poll title five times (1942, 1954, 1968, 2002 and 2014).

* Conference Championships – Ohio State has been a member of the Big Ten since 1913 and boasts 39 conference championships. That is five behind all-time Big Ten leader Michigan's total of 44 conference titles. OSU's last Big Ten title was in 2020.

Texas is finishing its first season as a member of the SEC. Texas has won 33 conference championships. Two of those were in the TIAA, followed by 27 Southwest Conference championships and four more in the Big 12.

* Heisman Trophy Winners – Texas has had two Heisman Trophy winners with Earl Campbell in 1977 and Ricky Williams in 1998. Ohio State has had six players claim seven Heismans. They were Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (1955), Archie Griffin (1974-75), Eddie George (1995) and Troy Smith (2006). Griffin is the only player to ever win the award twice.

* Consensus All-Americans – OSU is second with 95 choices by 71 different players. Texas has had 63 consensus All-Americans.

* NFL First-Round Draft Picks – Ohio State is No. 1 all-time with 91 NFL first-round draft picks. Texas is 11th all-time with 48 first-round picks.

* College Football Hall of Fame – Texas has had 17 players and four coaches selected for the College Hall. Ohio State has had 28 players and 11 coaches honored with Hall induction.

* Coaching Icons – Each side boasts its share of coaching legends. Texas has Dana Bible, Darrell Royal, Fred Akers and Mack Brown. OSU boasts John Wilce, Francis Schmidt, Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer.

Here is a look at the three previous meetings between Ohio State and Texas (AP poll rankings in parentheses):

YOUNG DOMINATES IN HORSESHOE

* Date: Sept. 10, 2005

* Location: Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio

* Score: Texas (2) 25, Ohio State (4) 22

* The Skinny: This was the first-ever match-up between these two great programs. It was highly anticipated and drew an Ohio Stadium-record crowd of 105,565. Most of them left disappointed, however, after Texas' dynamic quarterback threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 76 yards.

The Buckeyes forced three Texas turnovers, including two interceptions of Vince Young. But they had to settle for five Josh Huston field goals. A 50-yard miss by Huston with 5:00 left denied the Buckeyes a chance to grab a commanding 25-16 lead.

Instead, Texas drove 67 yards in seven plays to grab the lead. Young's 24-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed gave Texas a 23-22 lead with 2:37 left.

OSU had two possessions after that. But the quarterback tandem of Justin Zwick and Troy Smith each made costly mistakes. Zwick lost a fumble with 2:19 left. Then, after OSU got the ball back on its own 1 with 25 seconds left, Smith was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

Texas became the first visiting team to defeat Ohio State in a night game at Ohio Stadium in seven tries. The Longhorns, coached by Mack Brown, went on and posted a 13-0 record and won the national championship. OSU ended up 10-2 with a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame.

BUCKEYES GET REVENGE IN AUSTIN

* Date: Sept. 9, 2006

* Location: Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium; Austin, Texas

* Score: Ohio State (1) 24, Texas (2) 7

* The Skinny: Ohio State paid Texas back in kind with a decisive win behind the hot passing of QB Troy Smith and a stingy defense. A sellout crowd of 89,422 was on hand for this primetime affair.

It was the first regular season match-up of the nation's top two teams in nearly 10 years. OSU's victory snapped Texas' nation's best 21-game winning streak and the Buckeyes (2-0) won their ninth straight game. The victory also avenged OSU's painful 25-22 loss at the hands of Texas last season in Ohio Stadium.

"Our guys played hard," said OSU coach Jim Tressel. "They came into a tough environment and just kept slugging away. Our defense caused some turnovers. Whenever you hold someone to seven points in their stadium, that's incredible.

"All in all, when you add in our special teams, which I think were great, our defensive was relentless and our offense didn't make many mistakes."

Smith, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2006, completed 17 of 26 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Smith completed eight of those passes to Anthony Gonzalez, who notched a career-high 142 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Ted Ginn Jr. added five catches for 97 yards and a score as well, while Brian Robiskie had three catches for 28 yards. Tailback Antonio Pittman had 74 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. Pittman's 2-yard score with 6:31 left all but sealed the win for the Buckeyes, who outlasted Texas on a balmy 85-degree evening.

Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy was 19 of 32 passing for 154 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That pick by OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis was returned to the Texas 20-yard line and set up a critical field goal by Aaron Pettrey in the third quarter. Laurinaitis also forced a fumble in the first half at the OSU 1-yard line, denying the Longhorns a key scoring chance. He also led the Buckeyes with 13 tackles.

OSU ended up 12-1 that season with a loss to Florida in the BCS national title game, while Texas ended up 10-3 with an Alamo Bowl win over Iowa.

TEXAS PULLS OUT FIESTA BOWL WIN

* Date: Jan. 5, 2009

* Bowl: Fiesta Bowl

* Location: University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium); Glendale, Ariz.

* Score: Texas (3) 24, Ohio State (10) 21

* The Skinny: The rubber match – at least to this point – in this rivalry was played at the Fiesta Bowl. And it was Colt McCoy who got his revenge this time around. McCoy showed why he was the 2008 Heisman Trophy runner-up. He led Texas on an 11-play, 78-yard scoring drive in the waning seconds as the Longhorns rallied for the three-point win.

The Longhorns came back from a 6-3 deficit at halftime and also trailed 21-17 after the Buckeyes (10-3) grabbed the lead on Boom Herron's 15-yard touchdown run with 2:05 left.

McCoy ran UT's spread offense to near perfection, completing 41 of 59 passes for 414 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. His 26-yard touchdown pass to receiver Quan Cosby with a scant 16 seconds remaining provided the margin of victory. Cosby blistered OSU for 14 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

The Buckeyes rallied behind the dual quarterback play of Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman. Boeckman threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Pryor to narrow that gap. Then Herron, filling in for an injured Beanie Wells at tailback, had a 15-yard touchdown run with 2:05 left for the game-winning score.

Ohio State rolled up 203 yards rushing against Texas. Wells had 106 yards on 16 carries before leaving with an apparent concussion.

Texas ended up 12-1, while OSU finished at 10-3 overall.

Ohio State will be making its fifth bowl appearance in the Dallas Metroplex. Ohio State is 2-1 all-time in the Cotton Bowl and also has a win over Oregon in the CFB Playoff national championship game following the 2014 season. Texas is 11-10-1 all-time in the Cotton Bowl.

In addition to these bowl games, Ohio State also played a regular season game against TCU in 2018. The Buckeyes, with Ryan Day as the acting head coach, took a 40-28 win over No. 15 TCU in that game.

Here is a look at OSU's four previous bowl games in the Dallas Metroplex:

OSU FEASTS ON A&M TURNOVERS IN COTTON BOWL

* Date: Jan. 1, 1987

* Bowl: Cotton Bowl

* Location: Cotton Bowl Stadium; Dallas

* Score: Ohio State (11) 28, Texas A&M (8) 12

* The Skinny: Ohio State's 1986 team opened the year 0-2 before reeling off nine straight wins. But the Buckeyes dropped their regular season finale to Michigan 26-24 at home and OSU was relegated to a Cotton Bowl match-up with Texas A&M.

Ohio State led 7-6 at the half before linebacker Chris Spielman had a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown. That was among five interceptions by Texas A&M QB Kevin Murray. OSU's Sonny Gordon had one on the next series to set up Vince Workman's 8-yard TD run and a 21-6 lead. LB Michael Kee added a late 49-yard interception return for a touchdown to clinch it.

OSU QB Jim Karsatos threw for 195 yards – including six passes for 105 yards to Nathanial Harris – and also ran 3 yards for the team's first touchdown.

OSU players wore red cleats for the Big Ten's first-ever appearance at the Cotton Bowl. And head coach Earle Bruce donned a black suit and a fedora hat for the first time as well. The win left OSU at 10-3 on the season.

BUCKEYES WIN NATIONAL TITLE GAME IN ARLINGTON

* Date: Jan. 12, 2015

* Bowl: CFB Playoff national championship game

* Location: AT&T Stadium; Arlington, Texas

* Score: Ohio State (4) 42, Oregon (2) 20

* The Skinny: Ohio State claimed its sixth consensus national championship with its win in the first-ever CFB Playoff national title game. The Buckeyes had beaten No. 1 Alabama 42-35 in their semifinal game to reach the championship game. OSU rolled to the title game win before 85,689 at AT&T Stadium.

Third-year OSU coach Urban Meyer earned his third national title following two previous championships at Florida.

The Buckeyes, who ended up 14-1, rolled up 538 yards total offense. That allowed them to overcome four turnovers. Oregon came into the game averaging 552.9 yards per game and 47.2 points per game. But the Buckeyes held the Ducks to 465 yards and just two touchdowns and two field goals.

OSU running back Ezekiel Elliott was the man of this match. He carried it 36 times for a career-high 246 yards and four touchdowns. Elliott became the first OSU player to rush for over 200 yards in three straight games. His four TDs are an Ohio State bowl record and he ended up just shy of Eddie George's school record for yards in a single season.

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, making just his third career start in place of the injured J.T. Barrett, was 16 of 23 passing for 242 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 21 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Oregon Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota was 24 of 37 passing for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

BUCKEYES GET RARE WIN OVER USC AT COTTON BOWL

* Date: Dec. 29, 2017

* Bowl: Cotton Bowl

* Location: AT&T Stadium; Arlington, Texas

* Score: Ohio State (5) 24, USC (8) 7

* The Skinny: Ohio State claimed its first win over USC in 44 years with this easy win in the Cotton Bowl. The fifth-ranked Buckeyes feasted on three first-half turnovers by the eighth-ranked Trojans to build a 24-0 lead. OSU won this match-up between the Big Ten and Pac-12 championship teams before 67,510 AT&T Stadium.

This was a fitting way for senior quarterback J.T. Barrett, Rimington Award winning center Billy Price and the rest of the Buckeyes' seniors to ride off in the sunset. At the same time, OSU snapped a seven-game losing streak to USC. OSU's last win over USC came in the 1974 Rose Bowl (42-21).

Barrett completed 11 of 17 passes for 114 yards. He also carried the ball 16 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Those scores allowed Barrett to break his own Big Ten single-season record for touchdowns responsible for. He had 45 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2014 and ended his senior year with 47 (35 passing, 12 rushing).

Barrett broke Drew Brees' Big Ten career record for total offense with 12,697 yards. His 147 touchdowns (104 passing, 43 rushing) are also a Big Ten record, 41 more than Brees at Purdue.

A native of nearby Wichita Falls, Texas, Barrett ended his career 38-6 as a starter. OSU finished 12-2 for the year.

OSU OFFENSE STRUGGLES IN COTTON LOSS TO MISSOURI

* Date: Dec. 30, 2023

* Bowl: Cotton Bowl

* Location: AT&T Stadium; Arlington, Texas

* Score: Missouri (9) 14, Ohio State (7) 3

* The Skinny: This was a rough one for the Buckeyes, who were without QB Kyle McCord (transfer portal) and All-American WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (preparing for NFL Draft). Devin Brown started at quarterback but was knocked out of the game early, leaving seldom used true freshman Lincoln Kienholz to play the rest of the game.

Ohio State managed just 12 first downs and 203 yards total offense. The Buckeyes were actually milking a 3-0 lead all the way to the start of the fourth quarter before the Tigers broke through for a pair of touchdowns – one on a 7-yard run by Cody Schrader and a the other on a 7-yard pass from Brady Cook to Luther Burden.

Both teams ended up 11-2 on the season.