GRAPEVINE, Texas – The games have been stacking up for Texas, which after playing in the Southeastern Conference championship game had to win two extra games in this expanded College Football Playoff to get back to the same spot they were last season.
At least the Longhorns didn't have to travel far Wednesday for this CFP semifinal, their 16th game this season. It was only about a 45-minute flight from their campus to North Texas, where they play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.
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“You can’t take it for granted. Most people don’t get opportunities to still be playing, and then to still be playing, I mean, down the road from Austin, that’s another blessing," All-America cornerback Jahdae Barron said after the team's arrival.
Both the Longhorns (13-2) and Buckeyes (12-2) got to the Dallas area as scheduled ahead of an expected winter storm that was forecast bring 2 to 4 inches of snow Thursday, along with sleet and rain.
With the game played inside at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, the weather won't have any direct impact on the actual game that determines which will advance to the national championship. Penn State and Notre Dame will play the other semifinal Thursday night at the Orange Bowl.
“They said there's gonna be freezing up here," Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock said with a laugh after the Buckeyes arrived from Columbus, where the high temperature Wednesday was 24 degrees. “We came up here and I’m like, `Dang, it’s pretty warm up here.' So it’s definitely great to be down here.”
Ohio State is playing in the Cotton Bowl for the second year in a row, but there is so much more riding on the outcome of this one.
The Buckeyes last time were coming off a loss to Michigan in their regular-season finale, their first loss of the season knocking them out of the Big Ten title game and playoff contention. Starting quarterback Kyle McCord had transferred and two-time All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. opted out of playing last season's game in Arlington, a 14-3 loss to Missouri.
This game comes 10 years after Ohio State won the first national championship game of the four-team College Football Playoff era — played at AT&T Stadium.
While the Buckeyes ended this regular season with another loss to Michigan, they got into the playoff as the eighth seed and beat Tennessee at home in the first round. Ohio State was then able to avenge its other loss, beating then-undefeated and top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
The fifth-seeded Longhorns are playing their second playoff game in the Lone Star State. They beat Clemson at home in a first-round game before a win over Big 12 champion Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.
Texas, before completing its long-awaited move into the SEC last summer, got into what was still a four-team playoff last season after winning the Big 12 championship at AT&T Stadium. Its 14th and final game then was a 37-31 loss to Washington in the CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl.
“Wasn't very fun, that's for sure,” Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers said as he recalled the feeling after that game. “I knew this is exactly where I wanted to be ... back here right now.”
More than half of the Texas roster played in that Big 12 title game, and many Longhorns have also played in Texas state high school championship games that are held annually at AT&T Stadium.
“Yeah, I'm going to be real comfortable,” said linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who is from nearby Denton. “It’s going to be real good playing in the stadium, being back home."
Ewers lost a title game there his junior year with Southlake High, then skipped his senior prep season for a semester at Ohio State — where he took only two snaps in a game — before transferring to Texas. And now he's facing the Buckeyes for a spot in the national title game January 20 in Atlanta.
“Full-circle moment for sure,” he said.
The Buckeyes are playing their 15th game, something they've only done once before — during that championship season a decade ago. It is a grind that receiver Emeke Egbuka described as amazing.
“We’ve learned a lot about our team, ourselves. I’ve learned a lot about myself,” Egubuka said. “And you know, it’s going to be even longer grinding in the NFL. ... But, you know, this team is more locked in and focused more than ever.”
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