It doesn’t get much better than this.
No. 1 Ohio State travels to No. 4 Texas on Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s 14-7 Buckeyes victory. Both teams looked dominant in Week 1, with Ohio State beating Ball State 56-3 and Texas destroying Texas State 59-7.
But which team actually has the better roster?
Let’s go position by position.
Ohio State and Texas have two of the most talented rosters in college football.
But if we go position by position, Texas might have the advantage.
Quarterback — Ohio State
Julian Sayin gets the edge over Arch Manning.
Manning has tremendous talent, but Sayin has been more consistent and has already proven he can play at an elite level in huge games.
Running Back — Texas
Bo Jackson is excellent, but Texas has the better overall room.
The Longhorns’ running back duo of Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown gives them multiple legitimate weapons and considerably more depth in the backfield.
Wide Receiver — Texas
Ohio State has the best receiver in Jeremiah Smith, but Texas has the better room.
Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V is an absurd trio. Wingo being essentially a WR2 shows just how deep Texas is.
Tight End — Texas
Neither side has an overwhelming advantage, but Texas has more depth with Spencer Shannon and Nick Townsend.
Offensive Line — Texas
Both lines have questions, but Texas gets the slight advantage.
The Longhorns have more experience across the unit, while Ohio State is still trying to find the right combination up front.
Defensive Line — Texas
Colin Simmons is the difference here.
Texas also has Hero Kanu and Ian Geffrard inside, giving the Longhorns a defensive front that could cause serious problems for Ohio State.
Linebacker — Texas
Ohio State lost Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, leaving a lot of production to replace.
Texas has more experience with Rasheem Biles, Justin Cryer and Brad Spence.
Cornerback — Ohio State
Ohio State still has plenty of talent in the secondary.
Devin Sanchez could become one of the best corners in college football, while Jermaine Mathews Jr. gives the Buckeyes an experienced option opposite him.
Edge: Ohio State
Safety — Texas
Losing Caleb Downs is impossible to ignore.
Texas has Jelani McDonald and Kobe Black, giving the Longhorns the more proven safety room entering this matchup.
Special Teams — Texas
This could be incredibly important if the game stays close.
Ohio State had some special teams concerns in Week 1, so I’ll give Texas the slight advantage.
Final Scorecard
Texas: 8
RB, WR, TE, OL, DL, LB, S, Special Teams
Ohio State: 2
QB, CB
That looks extremely one-sided, but I don’t think the actual teams are separated by nearly that much.
Ohio State has Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and plenty of elite talent capable of completely changing a game.
But position by position, Texas simply looks deeper.
Saturday night will tell us whether that depth is enough to beat the No. 1 team in the country.
