COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State is taking a winter trip to Dallas to play in the Cotton Bowl in consecutive seasons, facing Texas on Friday in a College Football Playoff semifinal.

While this is the first year the Buckeyes are playing in two bowl games in the same season, it is far from the first time the team has played in the same bowl two years in a row. Ohio State has had ample opportunities to play in major bowl games and more often then you would think, Buckeyes squads have made back-to-back trips to the same destination.

Here is every time Ohio State football has played in the same bowl game in back-to-back seasons.

Cotton Bowl (2023-24)

Ohio State’s run in the inaugural 12-team playoff marks the eighth time the Buckeyes play in the same bowl two seasons running. Ohio State’s regular-season finale loss to Michigan last season knocked it out of the playoff picture and sent it to the Cotton Bowl to take on Missouri.

The Buckeyes came into that game shorthanded with starting quarterback Kyle McCord transferring, leading coach Ryan Day to play backup Devin Brown. The Tigers beat the Buckeyes 14-3 in a lackluster game.

The 2025 Cotton Bowl serves as a playoff semifinal between the Buckeyes and Longhorns. Ohio State is aiming to make its third championship game in the playoff era, and Texas seeks to make its first national final since 2009.

Fiesta Bowl (2002-03, 2015-16)

Ohio State has made nine trips to Arizona’s Fiesta Bowl and made a habit of it during the 2000s, playing in the game in back-to-back seasons on two occasions.

The undefeated Buckeyes met the undefeated Miami Hurricanes for the national championship in 2002 at the Fiesta Bowl. This came during the Bowl Championship Series era when one of the four main bowl games (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, or Orange) served as the championship.

Ohio State pulled off the upset 31-24 in double overtime in one of the most iconic games in college football. The Buckeyes returned the following season to face Big 12 champion Kansas State. They won again 35-28 behind four touchdown passes from Craig Krenzel.

2016 started and ended for the Buckeyes in Glendale, Arizona, playing in two Fiesta Bowls in the same calendar year. On New Year’s Day 2016, the defending national champion Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 44-28 as running back Ezekiel Elliott scored four touchdowns. OSU returned on New Year’s Eve and lost to Clemson 31-0 in a playoff semifinal.

National championship game (2006-07)

College football’s national championship structure changed in 2006 when officials made a designated Bowl Championship Series final outside of the four major New Year’s bowls. The Buckeyes made the first two iterations and lost both.

Behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith, the Buckeyes rode into the national championship game in Glendale to face future Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators. Star receiver Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff for a TD. That would be half of the Buckeyes’ scoring as the Gators cruised to the title 41-14.

2007 is known as the “Year of the Upset,” and the final regular-season week saw No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia lose, giving Ohio State another chance at a national championship. The Buckeyes took on LSU in New Orleans, starting things off again with a long touchdown from Chris “Beanie” Wells in the first 90 seconds. But the winner was LSU, 38-24.

Outback Bowl (2000-01)

Ohio State began the millennium with back-to-back trips to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. A disappointing 8-3 season in 2000 that included a home loss to Michigan left the Buckeyes in the New Year’s Day game to play 7-4 South Carolina. The Gamecocks crushed the Buckeyes 24-7, leading to coach John Cooper being fired the following day.

New coach Jim Tressel’s first bowl game was also the Outback Bowl against the same opponent, this time with the records reversed. It ended with the same result as South Carolina won 31-28 with a field goal from Daniel Weaver as time expired.

Sugar Bowl (1997-98)

The Buckeyes have only played in six Sugar Bowls, with two of those coming in the late 1990s. The 1996 season ended with a loss to top-ranked Michigan to send them to New Orleans to play Florida State, which had lost to Florida in its finale to miss out on a national title game appearance. Coach Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles took out their frustration with a 31-14 win over the Buckeyes.

Ohio State started 1997 at No. 1, but its national title chances ended with a loss to unranked Michigan State on Nov. 7. Once again, the bowl destination was the Sugar Bowl, this time taking on Texas A&M, the Big 12 champion. The Buckeyes got off to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter and held on to win 24-14. Receiver David Boston had 11 catches for 105 yards, earning MVP honors.

Citrus Bowl (1994-95)

A few years before playing in back-to-back Sugar Bowls, the Buckeyes played in back-to-back Citrus Bowls in Orlando, Florida. A 9-3 regular season in 1994 ended with a matchup against 11-1 Alabama. OSU led 17-14 with 8 minutes to play but fell 24-17 after a 50-yard Sherman Williams touchdown reception with 42 seconds remaining.

The Buckeyes returned after an 11-1 season in 1995 and faced another Southeastern Conference team. Tennessee, which Ohio State had never played before, was the opponent, and the Vols won 20-14. Leading Tennessee was sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning.

Four straight Rose Bowls (1972-75)

Ohio State has played in 57 bowl games dating to 1921. The first 10 were at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the Buckeyes made trips in consecutive seasons.

The four Rose Bowls between 1972 and 1975 featured the Buckeyes, with the first three including Southern California. The Trojans claimed a unanimous national title with a 42-17 victory in the 1972 game, with four touchdown runs from Sam Cunningham. The Buckeyes got revenge the following year with a 42-21 win, capped by a 47-yard TD run from Archie Griffin.

The third straight installment was the most exciting as the teams combined for 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Trojans won 18-17 on a touchdown pass from J.J. McKay to Pat Haden.

In 1975, coach Woody Hayes led the Buckeyes to an 11-0 season and a Rose Bowl trip to face UCLA. In an upset, the Bruins won 23-10 to end the Buckeyes’ bid for a national championship.