COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Wednesday was travel day for both No. 8 seed Ohio State and No. 5 seed Texas as kickoff for Friday’s playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas approaches.

The Longhorns arrived first at approximately 4:30 p.m. local time at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine before the Buckeyes got to their team hotel two hours later at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

The game marks a homecoming of sorts for offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, who grew up in Houston.

“I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming to see me play so looking forward to getting after it,” Jackson said. “It’s a surreal feeling and a testament to the hard work that everyone has put in. Everyone’s sacrificed a lot to get to this point. We’re excited to get on the field and execute what we’ve been practicing.”

Friday marks the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, which Texas won 24-21. The Longhorns lead the series all-time, 2-1.

Ohio State advanced to the playoff semifinals after dismantling top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The Buckeyes catapulted to a 34-0 lead before going on to win 41-21, avenging their earlier loss to the Ducks in the regular season.

“We haven’t done anything yet. We just want one more week with our team, with these guys and that’s what we’re banking on,” cornerback Jordan Hancock said.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns made it to the Cotton Bowl after edging out fourth-seed Arizona State in a double-overtime thriller at the Peach Bowl. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, a former Buckeye before transferring to Texas, completed 20-of-30 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

“A full-circle moment, for sure. Excited to get to see those guys and get to be up against them,” Ewers said. “I learned a lot while I was up there. Learned a lot about myself while I was up there. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

This is Ohio State’s second straight appearance in the Cotton Bowl after losing to Missouri in last year’s edition, 14-3. Texas is in the Cotton Bowl for a record 23rd time but first since 2003, when it defeated LSU, 35-20.

“It’s a lot of emotions build up into it. I think the guys appreciate all the effort that our team has put together into this,” linebacker Cody Simon said. “I think it’s one of the closest teams I’ve had in awhile.”

The winner of Friday’s contest advances to the national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta against the winner of Thursday’s Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes’ last made a national championship game in 2020 while the Longhorns haven’t made a final since 2009.