There probably isn’t a bigger game in college football this weekend.
No. 1 Ohio State travels to No. 4 Texas for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday night on ABC, giving us another top-five matchup between two programs that have become very familiar with each other.
And Texas has to be sick of seeing the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has beaten Texas in each of the last two seasons.
The Buckeyes knocked Texas out of the College Football Playoff with a 28-14 semifinal victory following the 2024 season. Then Texas opened last season at Ohio State and lost another defensive battle 14-7.
Now Texas gets another shot.
And this time, the game is in Austin.
Both teams looked ridiculous in Week 1.
Ohio State destroyed Ball State 56-3, with Julian Sayin throwing for 320 yards and Jeremiah Smith catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half.
Texas responded with a 59-7 beatdown of Texas State.
More importantly, Arch Manning looked nothing like the quarterback who struggled against Ohio State last season. Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, while Ryan Wingo had 121 receiving yards.
That’s the biggest difference for me.
Last season, Ohio State completely frustrated Manning. He had just 38 passing yards through three quarters before finally getting going late and finishing with 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
He’s getting another opportunity against essentially the perfect opponent.
Ohio State is still loaded, and Jeremiah Smith scares me more than anybody on the field. If Texas can’t prevent Smith from creating explosive plays, the Buckeyes could easily make it three straight against the Longhorns.
But Ohio State also lost a ton of defensive talent from last year’s roster, and Week 1 showed some early tackling issues despite allowing only three points.
Texas needs to test that new-look defense in a way Ball State obviously couldn’t.
The Longhorns are also 20-1 at home since the beginning of 2023. Now they’ll get Ohio State under the lights with an opportunity to finally get revenge for two incredibly painful losses.
I think they get it.
This feels like another physical, relatively low-scoring game between two teams talented enough to win the national championship.
But after losing 28-14 and 14-7 in the previous two meetings, I think Arch Manning finally delivers his signature win.
Prediction: Texas 24, Ohio State 17
