The No. 5 seeded Longhorns and No. 8 seeded Buckeyes meet at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas to duke it out for a shot at the title. Ohio State has had more recent success, winning the big dance in 2015 with quarterback Cardale Jones at the helm and running back Ezekiel Elliott leading the charge with four rushing touchdowns.

Texas football has been plagued by special teams issues all season and, lately, kicker Bert Auburn's performance has been drawing scrutiny.

The Texas Longhorns have had one glaring weakness over the last two months of their season - the kicking game. Dating back to their Nov. 23 matchup vs. the Kent

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian described his Longhorns as “massive underdogs” against an on-fire Ohio State team last week. On the eve of Texas’ Cotton Bowl showdown against those Buckeyes, Sarkisian hardly softened his stance.

As the Jets look to bolster their roster in the NFL Draft, here are some players to watch in tonight's matchup.

Here's what to know about the series history between Ohio State and Texas -- including all-time meetings and record -- ahead of Friday's CFP semifinal game:

On the back end, Texas has allowed only eight passing scores this year and ranks No. 3 in pass defense success rate. All-American cornerback Jahdae Barron had a standout season with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups and is a key cog in the hopes of slowing down Ohio State receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Texas football will be an underdog when it battles Ohio State in the CFP, something the Longhorns haven't experienced in 27 games.