Whatever Ryan Day said to his team after losing to Michigan obviously worked.

After calls to fire their head coach after Thanksgiving because of their fourth straight loss to the Wolverines — easily their worst — the Buckeyes are headed for the national championship after Friday night’s 28-14 Cotton Bowl Classic win over Texas.

After Ohio State took a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left (on a drive that included a huge 4th-down conversion), Texas quickly came down the field in response, largely in part on a 34-yard capture by Gunnar Helm. After back-to-back defensive pass interference in the end zone, the Longhorns had another set of downs at the goal line. It was a matter of time before the game was tied, but then a nightmare occurred for Texas.

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After being stuffed on first down, Quintrevion Wisner lost seven yards on a second-down throw, putting Texas in trouble. The third down pass fell incomplete, and on fourth down, Ewers lost a fumble that was forced and intercepted by Jack Sawyer, who took it 82 yards the other way for a touchdown.

In what appeared to be another overtime game for the Longhorns, their season flashed before their eyes in the snap of a finger. Hoping for a miracle, Ewers threw a pick on their next drive, and just like that, it was over.

The Buckeyes got on the board first and scored a touchdown right after stopping Texas on 4th down. The Longhorns’ offense had stalled throughout the first half, but they tied the game with 29 seconds left in the half and were ready to go into the locker room with the game tied at seven.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown on a 75-yard touchdown catch and run against the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 10, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State, however, was not. Right after a touchback, Will Howard dumped a pass to TreVeyon Henderson, who got some blocks in front and scampered 75 yards to the house, giving the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead going into the locker room. It’s pretty easy to point to the two plays that cost Texas their season with hindsight as 20/20.

Both teams traded punts for most of the third quarter, but with just over three minutes remaining, Ewers found Jaydon Blue for his second touchdown connection of the night, tying the game. But then the Buckeyes score came to 21-14.

Before the game, it was revealed that Ewers said he expected to play in the NFL next season, so it will be interesting to see if his plans change.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) celebrates a sack of Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) in the first quarter of the Cotton Bowl Classic during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Now it will be the eighth-seeded Buckeyes against no. 7 Notre Dame on Jan. 20 – score one for the extended playoff.

Like Ohio State, the Fighting Irish suffered an embarrassing loss of their own this season, dropping a contest at home against Northern Illinois back in September. But it has been 13 straight wins since then.