Ohio State defeated Texas 28–14 during the College Football Playoff semifinal Jan. 10 at the Cotton Bowl, a loss capped by an embarrassing fumble by former quarterback Quinn Ewers at the 1‑yard line, returned 83 yards by Ohio State's Jack Sawyer.

The last time Texas faced Ohio State, linebacker Jack Sawyer was returning a Quinn Ewers fumble 83 yards for a touchdown to seal a Buckeyes victory at the 2025 Cotton Bowl in Arlington. Ohio State went on to defeat Notre Dame to clinch its ninth national championship, while Texas went home to ponder what went wrong.