The stakes are high for the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The two college football powerhouses will battle it out in Friday night’s Cotton Bowl Classic for a trip to the national championship later this month.
The contest will also call for tremendous bragging rights between two of the biggest names in politics: Vice President-elect JD Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Sen. Ted Cruz, left, and then-Sen. JD Vance look on during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cruz, of course, hails from Texas, while Vance is an Ohio native who has outwardly shown his Buckeyes fandom.
With the game creeping up, Cruz offered up a friendly wager to Vance on X.
“Hey @JDVance – care for a wager on the UT-Ohio State game? Loser brings beer & food from his home state & delivers it wearing the winning jersey?” Cruz posted, also adding “#HookEm.”
Vance exuded confidence in his Buckeyes.
“Alright which Texas ice cream should I have Ted bring when the Buckeyes win?” Vance replied. He added, “To be clear, @tedcruz, you’re on!”
Vice President-elect JD Vance (R-OH) reacts after the Electoral College vote was ratified during a joint session of Congress to ratify the 2024 presidential election at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Before the season started, Vance called this year’s Ohio State team “maybe the best” he has seen. Their two losses this season were to Oregon (who they beat in the quarterfinals) and an unranked Michigan team, but they seem to have avenged that embarrassment quite nicely.
The Buckeyes received the eighth seed in the playoffs, as Oregon and Penn State battled it out for the Big Ten title game. Oregon, the top seed, remained undefeated on the season until last week’s loss to the Buckeyes – Penn State, No. 6, will face No. 7 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
Cruz’s Longhorns earned the fifth seed after falling just short in the SEC title game, which gave the No. 2 seed an automatic bye to Georgia, who lost to the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a watch party on election night on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston. (LM Otero/AP)
Texas has never made it past the semifinal, while Ohio State is in its sixth playoff, aiming for their third championship appearance since the playoff was implemented.
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