Everything Ohio State vs Texas Preview

Who Has the Edge: Ohio State or Texas? Story by: Easy Sportz 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.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW: TEXAS LED BY ARCH MANNING, NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND TALENTED WIDE RECEIVER DUO By Lyle Alenstein For the third straight year, Ohio State will play Texas in a highly anticipated matchup. #5 TEXAS LONGHORNS 1-0 (0-0) ROSTER | SCHEDULE SEPT. 12, 2026 - 7:30 P.M. DKR-TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM AUSTIN, TX ABCUT -1.5 In 2025, the Buckeyes took the season opener, 14-7, at Ohio Stadium. And in 2024, Ohio State emerged victorious, 28-14, in the Cotton Bowl. The third iteration of the heavyweight bout will take place in Austin, as the Buckeyes will clash with the Longhorns at 7:30 p.m. at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas is currently favored by 1.5 points in a game where ESPN's College GameDay show is coming to town, adding to the national hype around what is the best game on this weekend's slate. Here are the Five Things to Know about the Longhorns. HEISMAN CONTENDER AT THE HELM Ohio State saw Arch Manning a year ago in Week 1, when he went 17-for-30 on passing attempts for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception. It wasn't a great showing for his first game as a starter, but Julian Sayin's collegiate debut didn't go much better against Texas, going 13-for-20 for 126 yards and a score. Much like Sayin's strides, Manning developed throughout the year, finishing 2025 with 3,163 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Manning, who sat behind Quinn Ewers in 2024, was the No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class, which resulted in high expectations for his collegiate career and beyond. That's on top of the family tree he is part of, which features Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning as his uncles. This year, Arch is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy along with Sayin, and he's off to a hot start, going 20-for-27 on passing attempts for 305 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in Texas' season opener. He's a lot different than when Ohio State faced him at home a year ago, so he certainly can't be taken lightly despite the fits the defense gave Manning in 2025. HE CHOSE TEXAS, I COULD TELL Texas fired Pete Kwiatkowski last season after he spent five years as the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator. As a result, the Buckeyes will face a new-look Texas defense compared to a year ago. Will Muschamp will lead that defense, returning to Austin after serving as Texas’ defensive coordinator from 2008-10. Muschamp was the Longhorns’ head coach-in-waiting under Mack Brown before ultimately taking the head coaching job at Florida when Urban Meyer left for Ohio State. Muschamp later served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn and the head coach at South Carolina before landing at Georgia, where he worked as a special teams coordinator, defensive coordinator and defensive analyst. Muschamp and his defense are off to a hot start, forcing three turnovers and recording two sacks in the opener against Texas State. Now, he'll get his first true test in his return to Texas with a much more explosive offense from Ohio State. FAMILIAR-ISH FACES Last year, it was Texas defensive end Colin Simmons who started the fireworks before the game by reposting Ohio State's announcement of Sayin being named the starting quarterback. This year, it's somewhat of a familiar face who has started the chatter in the buildup to the matchup, as Pickerington native Rasheem Biles had some things to say about the Buckeyes. "I don't have a relationship with them," Biles told Texas' reporters in mid-August. "They called and stuff, but I ain't want to stay in Columbus for real if I'm being honest. … When I made my list and stuff, I told my mom, I ain't really trying to be in Columbus; I ain't trying to be a Buckeye. They ain't want me out of high school, and I was right there, there's no point in trying to get me now, you feel me?" “I Ain’t Trying to Be a Buckeye”: Texas Linebacker Rasheem Biles Said He Had No Interest in Returning to Columbus, Transferring to Ohio State RELATED “I AIN’T TRYING TO BE A BUCKEYE”: TEXAS LINEBACKER RASHEEM BILES SAID HE HAD NO INTEREST IN RETURNING TO COLUMBUS, TRANSFERRING TO OHIO STATE Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles says he never considered Ohio State in the transfer portal because the Buckeyes didn’t offer him when he was in high school. Read More Biles transferred from Pitt this past offseason and is off to a hot start with the Longhorns, logging two total tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble in Week 1. This one is clearly personal for him, and he'll look to make an impact against his home-state school. But for the Buckeyes, recruiting his high school teammate in Sonny Styles worked out. A DYNAMIC DUO AT RECEIVER Ohio State has the best player in college football on its sideline, and he just happens to play wide receiver: Jeremiah Smith. But the Longhorns boast a standout wideout duo of their own in Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo. In the season opener, Coleman hauled in three passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while Wingo went off for seven catches, 120 yards and a score. Coleman, a former five-star recruit, transferred to Texas from Auburn this offseason after two seasons with the Tigers, where he totaled 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. Wingo, meanwhile, is entering his third season at Texas after accumulating 83 catches for 1,306 yards and nine touchdowns over his first two years with the Longhorns. Both are quality receivers in their own right, but Coleman has the chance to put himself in the top tier of wideouts with a strong season at Texas. Many believe he can be in the conversation for a top wide receiver in the country. He had a solid showing in his Longhorn debut, but if he puts it all together, he'll be a special player. After all, he had everybody buzzing in the preseason with a ridiculous grab. GOOSBY LOOKS GOOD After suffering a bone bruise on his left knee during fall camp, Texas' starting left tackle appears good to go. Goosby, who is a projected top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL draft across multiple outlets, didn't miss any time and started against Texas State on Saturday. Steve Sarkisian said he had to play because he didn't get any reps in the Longhorns' scrimmages. He also said the game plan was to run right behind him on the first play, which they did, and it resulted in a 45-yard rush for tailback Hollywood Smothers. Goosby is a seriously talented player, as evidenced by his draft stock, so it'll be a challenging matchup for Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and the rest of the Ohio State defensive end group.