The College Football Playoff national championship game is set.
In what was a back-and-forth affair, No. 8 Ohio State defeated No. 5 Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Buckeyes (13-2) will now meet up with No. 7 Notre Dame (14-1) in the CFP championship game on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
REQUIRED READING:Cotton Bowl updates: Final score, highlights from Ohio State’s CFP semifinal win vs Texas
Defensive lineman Jack Sawyer served to be the hero for the Buckeyes. Late in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-goal at the Ohio State 8-yard line, Sawyer strip-sacked former Ohio State roommate Quinn Ewers, recovered the fumble and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown.
With its win Friday, Ohio State is returning to its first CFP national championship game since the 2021 College Football Playoff, where it fell to No. 1 Alabama 52-24 in the championship game.
Here’s what to know about who Ohio State will play in the CFP national championship, and a look at the full CFP schedule:
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Who will Ohio State play in CFP national championship?
With its Cotton Bowl win, Ohio State will now advance to play No. 7 Notre Dame in the CFP national championship on Monday Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Notre Dame pulled off its second straight upset in this year’s CFP on Thursday by taking down No. 6 Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl off a 41-yard field goal from Mitch Jeter.
The CFP national championship game will be the third consecutive meeting between Ohio State and Notre Dame in the last three seasons. The Buckeyes have taken each of the previous two meetings against the Irish, including last year’s last-minute win on a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Chip Trayanum.
College Football Playoff schedule
All times Eastern
CFP first round
Friday, Dec. 20
- No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17
Saturday, Dec. 21
- No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
- No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
- No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17
CFP quarterfinals
Tuesday, Dec. 31
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14
Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)
- Rose Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21
Thursday, Jan. 2
- Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10
CFP semifinal
Thursday, Jan. 9
- Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24
Friday, Jan. 10
- Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 28, No. 5 Texas 14
CFP championship
Monday, Jan. 20
- CFP championship game: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo, free trial)
Updated CFP 12-team bracket
With its loss Friday, Texas became the latest team to be eliminated from the CFP bracket. Here’s a look at what the CFP bracket looks like after Ohio State’s win:
Oregon (13-1)Georgia (11-3)Boise State (12-2)Arizona State (11-3)Texas (13-3)Penn State (13-3)- Notre Dame (14-1)
- Ohio State (13-2)
Tennessee (10-3)Indiana (11-2)SMU (11-3)Clemson (10-4)
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