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The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / Betting Tips / College Football Playoff Semi-Finals Texas Longhorns vs Ohio State Buckeyes

College Football Playoff Semi-Finals Texas Longhorns vs Ohio State Buckeyes: Odds, Tip, Predictions-01-10-25

NCAAF Betting Tips · - ·

Publish Date: 01/10/2025
Fact checked by: Simon Briffa

The Texas Longhorns will battle the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the winner playing Notre Dame for the National Championship. The Buckeyes are a -5.5 favorite, and with good reason: They have dominated Tennessee and Oregon, while Texas struggled at times against Arizona State. The Longhorns’ defense is capable of getting it done, though. They have a talented defense and a veteran quarterback. Ever since Ohio State lost to Michigan, this team has seemingly flipped a switch and looks unstoppable. Can the Longhorns hang?

Texas Longhorns vs Ohio State Buckeyes

  • Point Spread: Ohio State -5.5
  • Moneyline Texas +195
  • Moneyline Ohio State -240
  • Over/Under 52.5

Ohio State has an elite defence, but the Buckeyes upfront can be pushed around, where they rank below average in Defensive Line Yards and Stuff Rate.

Of course, this might not matter, as Texas doesn’t run the ball consistently. But I’m hoping Steve Sarkisian has been holding back the Arch Manning packages for a reason — hopefully, to keep everything off of the film. I think the Longhorns have enough talent and ability to have some looks the Buckeyes will not be prepared for.

I’ve been disappointed with Ewers throughout the year. However, he is excellent vs Cover 1 defense and can be elite when avoiding mistakes. If Ewers doesn’t get it done, you always have Arch Manning in the background, ready to come in,

I think people are overreacting to what happened in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It wasn’t that long ago that the Buckeyes were losing to a mediocre Michigan team.

Texas vs Ohio State Moneyline

Moneyline value exists on Texas as the Longhorns are an almost 2-1 underdog in this game. If you are betting on the Buckeyes, giving the -5.5 points makes the most sense to me. I am not against a Texas bet at almost 2-1 odds to win this game, as the Longhorns have a realistic shot of winning this game.  To find the best line, you need accounts with multiple sportsbooks, and we got you covered as we break down the best sports betting app

DraftKings
DraftKings
4.5/5
Tip: Bet Notre Dame ML
  • Nittany Lions explosive on the ground
  • Allar will struggle
  • Both teams dominant in the trenches
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Texas vs Ohio State Over/Under Analysis

Two big time defenses are playing in this game and that makes 52.5 a high number, but both offenses have some much firepower I expect some explosive plays on both sides, which leads me to bet the over in this game.

DraftKings
DraftKings
4.5/5
Tip: Bet the Under 52.5
  • Dominant defenses
  • Explosive offenses
  • Can the Longhorns defend the Buckeye passing game?
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This will be an explosive game on both sides of the ball. Turnovers will be key. Will Howard worries me, as does Ewers, but I trust Ewers more than Howard. In the end, I like the Buckeyes to win this game, but it will be close to the end. Ohio State 30 Texas 27.

Bet Texas +5.5

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