Cotton Bowl Odds: Point Spread, Moneyline, Total And Props

The 2025 Goodyear Cotton Bowl is featured in the College Football Playoff semifinal rotation. The Ohio State Buckeyes (12-2) take on the Texas Longhorns (13-2) with a shot at the National Championship game against the winner of the Orange Bowl (Penn State or Notre Dame). Ohio State boat raced No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl to reach here. Texas played a wild back-and-forth Peach Bowl with a controversial ending, surrendering a 17-0 early lead against Arizona State. Let's take a look at Cotton Bowl odds and player news for this CFP semifinal matchup.

The Cotton Bowl kicks off Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will broadcast the game from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Cotton Bowl odds

To place a bet on the Cotton Bowl, click on the odds in the table below. Toggle between spread, moneyline, total, or a blended view using the dropdown menu. For bowl game odds right up to the college football National Championship game go here.

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After a dominant performance over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State opened a -4.5 favorite over Texas with a 54.5-point over/under.

Ohio State Team Notes

• Ohio State seeks its first National Championship since 2014 (eighth claimed).
• Ohio State played in, and lost, this game last year. The Buckeyes were without the majority of their starting lineups.
• In two CFP games, Ohio State's defense notched 42 (!!!) QB pressures and 12 sacks.
• WR Jeremiah Smith set a Rose Bowl freshman record with 187 yards, including 161 in the first half alone against Oregon. in his last two games, Smith has 290 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
• When pressured this season, Will Howard posted a passer rating of 83.1, fifth-best among FBS QBs (min. 90 attempts).

Texas Team Notes

• Texas last played for a National Championship in 2009. It last won one in the famed 2005 Rose Bowl (seeking fifth title).
• Longhorns last played in the Cotton Bowl in 2003, a game they won over LSU.
• Despite allowing 31 total points against Arizona State, Texas' defense played well. Cam Skattebo accounted for nearly 96% of ALL yards by ASU (284 between rushing, receiving, and passing) and all three offensive scores.
• In three postseason games, QB Quinn Ewers took 11 sacks and was pressured 31 times.

Cotton Bowl betting

Last year, Missouri beat a shorthanded Ohio State, 14-3. The Tigers opened as +6.5 underdogs but closed at +3.5 following a rash of opt outs from the Buckeyes. Defense dominated (on both sides) but star WR Luther Burden and running back Cody Schrader found pay dirt in the game's only touchdowns. Under 50.5 points was never in danger.

The year prior's Cotton Bowl cemented itself as an instant classic. Michael Pratt and Tulane–who had just finished 2-10 the year prior–upended Heisman-winner Caleb Williams and USC 46-45. The Green Wave secured a thrilling last-minute win, covering the +1.5 spread and going well over the 66.5-point total. Tulane broke a run of five years in which the listed favorite covered. It also broke a 4-of-6 year run of the point total going under.

Previous Years

Favorites covered the last five Cotton Bowl games before the 2022 game (underdogs 2-0 outright since) and in all three games which the Cotton Bowl was a semifinal. The 2016 matchup between Wisconsin and Western Michigan ended in a push, meaning the prior time an underdog covered in the Cotton Bowl was Michigan State in 2014. That game, the Spartans closed a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Baylor 42-41 as +3 underdogs.

Five of the last eight point totals have gone under in the Cotton Bowl. The exceptions were a 53-39 shootout between Penn State and Memphis in 2019, a 55-20 Oklahoma blowout of Florida in 2020, and the 46-45 thriller in 2022.

Cotton Bowl history

Below are historical results of the Cotton Bowl. Games marked with an asterisk indicate a CFP semifinal matchup.

The first Cotton Bowl Classic was played in 1937 between TCU and Marquette, with the Horned Frogs winning 16-6.

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