As much fun as College Football is, even I have to admit that most of the teams are, well, scared at the beginning of the season. Sure, these games between obscure schools and powerhouses get some excitement for the random school, and money coming into them.
As far as watching, it is kind of boring seeing a team win games by 40 points. I want to see ranked matchups early on – if we have expanded playoffs, teams should be forced to play tougher games to start their year. It means the regular season is actually meaningful and that if a team does go undefeated, they’ve been challenged. If Notre Dame goes undefeated, we will look at maybe two games this year and be impressed. However, if you have teams like Ohio State and Texas facing each other early in the year, and throughout the season, and one goes undefeated, it is much more impressive.
Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Ohio State comes in as the top-ranked team in the country. The Buckeyes looked every bit of it in their season opener as they dominated Ball State with a 56-3 victory. Ohio State looked great on offense, with an extremely efficient Julian Sayin throwing for 320 yards on 21 of 25 passes with three touchdowns. Even both of his backups were solid, both going 5-for-6 with over 50 yards and a touchdown. This wasn’t exactly a challenging game for the team.
Ohio State now needs to figure out how to beat a Texas defense that is one of the better in the nation. It will be a good challenge after last year’s battle the two teams had. Ohio State looked great in basically every game last year, but scored only 14 against the Longhorns last season. Sayin had only 126 passing yards in that game, the fewest of the entire season.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) tries to read the Ohio State Buckeyes defense in the second quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Texas enters today’s game as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, and once again has high expectations. Those expectations will be tested early in the season, just as they were last year. In 2025, Texas had to travel to Ohio State for the first game of the season. They put up a respectable fight, but the offense got very little going in that one, with just seven points. Arch Manning looked very uncomfortable under center, completing just over 50% of his passes for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
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The Longhorns had a different start this season with an easy win over Texas State. I was wrong about this game, as I expected Texas to take its foot off the gas. The Longhorns somewhat did, scoring just 10 points in the final quarter and taking Manning out in the third, but they had too many points already to keep the under in play. Manning looked much better in this game with 305 yards, four touchdowns, and completing 20 of 27 passes. He did have an interception, though.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)
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This should be a game in which you get everything you can out of Texas. The Longhorns can’t be taken seriously if they continue to lose to the best teams in the country. They have one of the tougher schedules in the country, and this is the start of it. The line opened as a pick’em, and the Longhorns have become the favorite. Ohio State has lost a lot of defensive players since the last time the two teams have met. I think it is justifiable to take the Longhorns here, and I’m going to ride with the home team and the one that needs revenge. Give me Texas.
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