Ohio State takes on Texas in Cotton Bowl on TSN, TSN+

After Notre Dame's dramatic, come-from-behind victory over Penn State in the first College Football Playoffs semifinal on Thursday, Ohio State and Texas take centre stage on Friday on TSN and TSN+ to decide who will battle the Fighting Irish for the National Championship next week.

Watch Ohio State vs. Texas in the CFP semifinal LIVE at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on TSN1/5 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App with three bonus feeds on TSN+ including the Command Centre, SkyCast and Field Pass with the Pat McAfee Show.

Ohio State entered the CFP as the No. 8 seed and promptly demolished the Tennessee Volunteers 42-17 before blowing by the top-seeded Oregon Ducks in the second round, 41-21, at the Rose Bowl.

OSU Quarterback Will Howard has faced little resistance in the playoffs under the tutelage of former NFL head coach Chip Kelly, throwing for a combined 630 yards and five touchdowns across two blowout wins with just 14 incomplete passes.

Texas, meanwhile, knocked off Clemson in the opening round before squeaking by Arizona State 39-31 in a classic Peach Bowl that ended on an interception in double overtime. 

“I felt like I was watching March Madness,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after beating Arizona State, “with all the swings all over the place.”

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was strong against Arizona State, throwing for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Matt Golden, who transferred from Houston for this season, was a revelation in the win, catching seven passes for 149 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

"It definitely was tough just to go back and watch what happened," Ewers told ESPN during a quiet moment in the locker room after the win. "It feels you're like an inch away from going to the national championship. It's a hard pill to swallow.

"I mean, I can tell you, I probably didn't sleep for two days after that game."

This marks the fourth-ever matchup between the two schools - Texas currently owns the advantage, two wins to one, with the last battle between the two teams coming on Jan. 5, 2009 at the Fiesta Bowl - a 24-21 victory for the Longhorns.

Texas last won the national championship in 2005, and have won four national titles in program history. Ohio State, on the other hand, has earned eight national titles, with their most recent victory in 2014.