Ohio State has a Heisman finalist at quarterback, but the Buckeyes might consider deploying Lincoln Kienholz at times in the College Football Playoff.

The winner of the Cotton Bowl will advance to the CFP semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on Jan. 8.

In 2024 the Ohio State Buckeyes played in the first round of the College Football Playoff, facing Tennessee at home on Dec. 21, 2024. Not so this year, as Ohio State earned a No. 2 seed in the 2025 CFP despite falling to Indiana in the Big Ten championship.

The Buckeyes are familiar with Raiola from his time as a recruit. The former five-star prospect in the 2024 class was once committed to Ohio State, but he later flipped to Georgia then Nebraska.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have arrived in Texas ahead of Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl. Both the Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes arrived on Sunday, three days before their College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinal game on New Year’s Eve, according to our news partner WBNS in Columbus.

Ohio State meets Miami in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31. Here are three keys for the Buckeyes to move on.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two Ohio State freshmen, Eli Lee and Brody Lennon, had their black stripes removed Tuesday as the Buckeyes prepare for the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State will cross the final mid-major opponent off its schedule when it hosts Grambling State. For the Buckeyes, it is the lone chance left in 2025 to wash away the feelings that came with a 71-70,