Houston Texans, former Ohio St. QB sounds off on Cotton Bowl clash with Longhorns

Houston Texans QB CJ Stroud sounds off the Ohio State vs Texas CFP Semifinal in Cotton Bowl, makes bets with Longhorns teammates.

For this week, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is in enemy territory. The former Ohio State Buckeyes QB lives in Texas, and the state’s flagship school is about to face his alma mater in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

The Texans are scheduled to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the first game of the 2025 NFL playoffs on Saturday afternoon. But the night before, no doubt Stroud’s attention will be 266 miles to the north when his Buckeyes take on the Longhorns at AT&T Stadium.

Being in Texas, Stroud has certainly heard it from the Texas fans around the team. He told the media he’s already made bets with some teammates.

“A lot of UT guys here, so I got a lot of bets going on,” Stroud said, “If you see some guys in scarlet on Saturday morning you know where it came from.”

There are two former Longhorns on the Texans, defensive back Kris Boyd and practice squad running back Andrew Beck.

Stroud went onto say he’ll also be rooting for a couple of Longhorns to do well.

“One of my best friends actually plays for UT, Silas Bolden,” he said. “You know he had a punt return last week, which was cool. So I’m rooting for him and him only. And I like Quinn (Ewers), too. Quinn was my former teammate. But you know, I’m going Bucks all day.”