The 88th annual Cotton Bowl Classic featured Missouri of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Ohio State of the Big Ten Conference—teams selected at-large by the College Football Playoff selection committee.

However, they were defeated at home by LSU, 49–39, and three weeks later lost on the road to top-ranked Georgia, 30–21, ending their SEC title hopes.

Ohio State entered the year looking to improve upon their 2022 season, when they received a College Football Playoff berth but lost to Georgia in the 2022 Peach Bowl semifinal.

The Buckeyes earned marquee wins over Notre Dame and Penn State by margins of 17–14 and 20–12, respectively.

However, in a top-three rivalry clash against Michigan in their final game of the regular season, the Buckeyes lost 30–24 in Ann Arbor, leaving them with an 11–1 record (8–1 in Big Ten) and out of playoff contention.