Ohio State Game Preview
#1 vs. #2 in a clash of the titans of the college football 2025 season. Get your popcorn ready. Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images
Overview
Yes, it is finally here, folks. College football is back!! And most importantly, Texas football is back. At long last!
And what a start to the season we’ve got on tap. The Longhorns travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes for the first time since…the Horns’ most recent game. It is #1 vs. #2 - the defending national champions welcoming the preseason #1 team to their house to open up the college football season. It really doesn’t get any better. The game will be played on Saturday at 11:00am CDT in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. It will be televised on FOX as the Big Noon Kickoff game, and College GameDay will be there to send off legendary coach Lee Corso. The Longhorns are currently favored by 1.5, though the line started the Buckeyes’ way and has been close to pick ‘em.
Even though these teams met just 8 months ago in the College Football Playoff semifinals, both bring a new look to this new season. That doesn’t mean much for the lofty expectations placed on both sides ahead of this year. However, we will see new starting quarterbacks for both teams after the departures of Will Howard and Quinn Ewers. Arch Manning finally takes the full reigns for Texas. He also stands as the favorite to win the Heisman trophy (LOL). On the other side, Julian Sayin leads the Buckeyes in what will be his first collegiate start. They will also turn to new offensive and defensive coordinators.
After falling 28-14 in January in a game that Texas had within its grasp, they will have spent all offseason hungry and had this matchup circled every day. I can’t wait to see the Horns rolling out in the all white jerseys on Saturday. Let’s get after it!
Texas Offense vs. Ohio State Defense
It will certainly be a new look for Texas on offense this season, replacing several starting linemen, the quarterback, and the departures of Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm, and Jaydon Blue. Arch Manning will make his first road start for the Longhorns, having seen limited albeit impactful action on the road last season in College Station. CJ Baxter returns for the running back room, after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Quintrevion Wisner brings consistency to the offense, having become the every down back last season and performing well enough to earn the starting nod for this year. Expect decent production out of returners Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark, as well. The wide receiver room has some new faces, and one returner that Longhorn fans are buzzing about - Ryan Wingo. Most Texas fans became acquainted with Wingo during the win over Michigan last year. He is every bit as talented as Jeremiah Smith or Ryan Williams as one of the premier receivers in the nation, and I expect he’ll be a favorite target for Arch.
One of the biggest question marks for Texas’ offense coming into the year is the offensive line play. Kelvin Banks, Cam Williams, and Hayden Conner depart from last year’s starting rotation, meaning a fairly young and inexperienced line starting out. With more mobility at quarterback this year, I see the run protection as being the most important thing to establish for this young group. Excited to see who emerges as a star player from this bunch.
So, what should we expect from the Texas offense in this game? I do wonder if Sark will try and keep things conservative for week 1 or if he’ll bring out a few wrinkles in what will be an important big matchup early. I anticipate Texas to be able to move the ball fairly well, but red zone efficiency has been a problem for this program and we’ve yet to see that turn around. We did see against Texas’ biggest opponents last season, the inability to run the ball stifled the offense in crucial games.
On the other side, Ohio State sports possibly the best defensive player in college football in Caleb Downs. Should he shut down Ryan Wingo, it could be a difficult day for the Horns. Outside of Downs, the Buckeyes replace a lot of very talented players from the championship team, but should reload well. New DC Matt Patricia returns to the college game after 19 seasons in the NFL. He had a 13-29-1 record as a head coach, but did have a successful stint as the New England Patriots DC during a couple of their Super Bowl seasons. From a coaching perspective that leaves a lot of uncertainty, but they’ve got the players to be a menacing unit once again.
Advantage: None (not enough data!)
Texas Defense vs. Ohio State Offense
The Longhorns have the potential to be the best defense in college football. With returning starters receiving preseason All-American honors at all three levels, the Texas defense really could be even better than last year. That would be quite an asset, as Texas largely leaned on defense last season in a number of games. The every down consistency as well as big play making ability made this defense so difficult to play against. If not for a play or two, they really could have carried this team to the promised land. That’s exactly what they’ll be looking to do this season.
Led by emotional leader and 5th year senior Michael Taaffe, the Texas secondary should be one of the strengths. Several expected starters have seen a lot of playing time in previous seasons, and even with the departure of Jim Thorpe award winner Jahdae Barron, I expect it to be a strong group. And they will have a tall task, going up against Jeremiah Smith on the outside. But this group was able to completely shut him down in the previous matchup. That will certainly be a key to the outcome of this game.
The question mark for the Longhorn defense is in the interior of the defensive line, and the ability to stop the run. Having seen defensive tackles Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton depart for the NFL, we will have some new names to get acquainted with. One thing that sticks in my mind though, has been Sark’s ability to develop excellent interior D-linemen who you may not have expected to be great. I like that trend to continue as we progress in the season and look forward to seeing who steps up.
Not much needs to be said about the Texas pass rush, which should be absolutely devastating for opponents, with Colin Simmons, Ethan Burke, Anthony Hill, Colton Vasek and others returning. This will be THE strength of the team - good luck to any opposing quarterback on 3rd and long.
Ohio State, once again, has arguably the best offensive player in the sport in Smith. However, he’ll be attempting to receive passes from a guy playing in basically his first collegiate action. Julian Sayin was a highly touted 5-star player who initially went to Alabama before transferring to the Buckeyes. He certainly has the weapons around him to lead a high powered offensive attack, but it’s hard to know how long it’ll take him to progress in the college game. Brian Hartline takes over the offensive playcalling duties, a name Texas fans may be familiar with from the mid-2000s Buckeye teams. He takes over after the departure of Chip Kelly, one of the most innovative offensive minds in modern football. I don’t expect that offense to just keep rolling along with that much change.
Advantage: Texas
Coaching
Steve Sarkisian has now won 12 and 13 games for Texas in back to back seasons, and is 25-5 (83% win rate) since the beginning of the 2023 season. Sark has proven that he can build a premier program, having pulled in the #1 recruiting class for 2025 and looking strong again for 2026 and a likely top 5 class. If there is a dark spot, it’s that Sark is now 0-2 against Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart, and 0-1 against Ryan Day. To truly bring Texas to prominence, Sark will have to get the job done against one of the other elite coaches in college football. It starts right now.
Meanwhile, Ryan Day proved a lot of doubters wrong in winning a national championship, despite taking a unique route to a title. They lost to Michigan, and didn’t play in their conference championship game after all. But his team got hot at the right time, and it’s a program that usually builds toward the end of the season. This may be just the time to catch a Ryan Day team. He boasts a 70-10 overall record with Ohio State, good for an 88% win rate. Sheesh.
Advantage: Ohio State (slight)
Prediction
The Texas Longhorns are the team with something to prove, and they are the hungry team. As Arch Manning put it, “We’ve got a red dot on everyone else.” I would think this Ohio State team would be the one at the top of that list (well, maybe Georgia too, but we’ll get there). This is as good as it gets in college football for a season opener, and the excitement and buzz has been growing to a fever pitch. Boy do I love seeing those all white jerseys running onto the field, and I can’t pick against them in this one. Texas takes a hard fought, defensive game with late ball control offense. The return of CJ Baxter.
Score prediction: Texas 20, Ohio State 13
Hook ‘em
