Ohio State Buckeyes at Texas Longhorns

Ohio State and Texas are doing this again. Third straight year, same opening-week spotlight, and now it's Austin's turn to host the biggest non-conference game on the calendar.

Bush’s Picks

OSUTEX

OSUTEX

OverUnder

Best BetOhio State

Ohio State's the pick to win outright. This is a program that's now beaten Texas in each of the last two meetings, including one on Texas's own field when the Longhorns were the top-ranked team in the country. Sayin and Smith enter this one with a full year of chemistry, and that's the kind of edge that travels well.

Ohio State

• +Beaten Texas in each of the last two meetings
• +Sayin-Smith return as a proven, Heisman-caliber duo
• +4 of 5 offensive line starters are back
• −Lost 3 first-round defenders: Reese, Styles, Downs
• −Linebacking corps largely unproven, learning on the fly
• −Playoff run ended in a loss to Miami

Texas

• +Arch Manning enters Year 2 with far more reps
• +Loaded portal additions: Coleman, Brown, Smothers
• +Hosts under the lights with GameDay in Austin
• −Offseason foot surgery limited Manning's spring reps
• −Dropped the last two meetings with Ohio State
• −Fell into an early hole in last year's opener

This is Julian Sayin's show now, and Jeremiah Smith is still the best target in the country to hand it to. On the other sideline, Arch Manning gets his second crack at Ohio State with a full season of starts behind him instead of zero — though he's working back from offseason foot surgery that cut into his spring reps. Neither staff has confirmed a two-deep this early, but the headline names aren't in question.

Ohio State won this series in Columbus a year ago, 14-7, in a game where the Buckeyes' defense strangled a Texas team that had entered as the No. 1 team in the country. That defense looks very different now after losing 3 first-round picks off the back end, which is part of why this rematch reads differently than the last one even with the same two names on the marquee.

Show fees

6:30 PM CT

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OSU Ohio State

TEX Texas

Texas spent the offseason retooling around Manning instead of replacing him, pulling in receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers through the portal. Ohio State answered by bringing in Arthur Smith to run the offense, an NFL play-caller tasked with getting even more out of a Sayin-to-Smith connection that already produced 87 completions between the two of them last season.

Ohio State Buckeyes

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

Texas Longhorns

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report