Rematch of CFP semifinals at Cotton Bowl Classic opens 2025 season

IRVING, Texas (KXAN) — When Texas and Ohio State take the field at AT&T Stadium on Friday for the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl Classic, it won't be all that long before the teams play each other again.

The teams will face each other in the 2025 season opener on Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and both coaches are happy that the newly expanded playoff structure allows for such a marquee matchup to start a season.

"I think it's healthy. I think it's great for our players," Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said Thursday during the head coaches press conference. "I think it's great for the coaches, and I think it's great for the game. Now, with the way that this is set up, I think that you're allowed a loss or two throughout the season to learn and to grow and to build as a team."

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian pointed out that none of the CFP semifinal teams played an FCS opponent this season, and while other programs schedule lower-division teams to get a near-automatic win, Sarkisian said that's not why the top-flight recruits attend the top programs.

"I think there's a reason you come to Texas. There's a reason you go to an Ohio State. There's
a reason you go to a Notre Dame, a Penn State. It's you want to play in those games," he said. "As much as everybody's trying to stockpile wins, I think the players we recruit, they want to go against the best. They want to compete against the players that they went on multiple recruiting visits with and they got to know a little bit with or played in all-star games against."

It's also a chance, Sarkisian said, to get exposed — but in a good way.

"It also kind of shapes you for maybe where your deficiencies are," he said. "You can fix them throughout the season to get ready for a playoff run."

Before the teams can start the next season, one of their playoff runs will end Friday night. Obviously, neither coach wants that to happen, and for the Longhorns, a win Friday would mean a third trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the past few weeks.

Kicking struggles top of mind for Longhorns

Longhorns place kicker Bert Auburn has been great for most of his career, but right now, he's hit a bit of a rough patch. He missed two field goals late in the Peach Bowl, one of which would have ended the game in regulation, and he's 6-for-12 in kicks between 40-49 yards this season.

Where can the Longhorns go if Auburn misses another and they need to make a change? Sarkisian didn't say exactly what the contingency plan is if he needs to go with someone else.

"I think, ultimately, there's a psychological approach that we've tried to use, and there's obviously the physical approach," he said. "And then we'll monitor that thing through pregame and make a decision and go."

Maybe Auburn will find his groove once again to help propel Texas through the rest of the CFP. He's the school's all-time leading field goal kicker after all, hitting 66 during his four-year career, so it's not like he can't be trusted. In a world of what have you done for me lately, however, Sarkisian may be forced to try someone else if Auburn can't get back on track.