College Football Powerhouses Ohio State and Texas Open Up Week 1 With a Top-3 Showdown in The Shoe in the Biggest Season Opener in the Sport’s History.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will open the season at home Saturday afternoon against the top team in the country as the Texas Longhorns visit Columbus. The scarlet and gray are coming off a dominant playoff run, which featured wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame en route to a national title. Their last matchup with Texas ended with one of the most iconic plays in Buckeye history, as Jack Sawyer cemented himself as an Ohio State legend.

The Longhorns come to town boasting an explosive offense and athletic defense, with both sides of the ball featuring some of the biggest names in college football. Arch Manning has finally been given the reins of the Texas offense and will have some weapons to work with. The defense has playmakers at all three levels and will test this new-look offense for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is looking to defend its title after winning the inaugural 12-team playoff, which featured dominant victories over the best teams in the country. Texas comes up north looking for revenge after a heartbreaking defeat in their backyard in Dallas just eight months ago. New quarterbacks, coaches, units, and a new season of college football. Which title favorite will start the year on the right foot?

The World-Famous Ohio State Buckeyes Are Back

The Buckeyes had 14 players drafted after the 2024 campaign, but returned a lot of key pieces for their title defense. There are areas of the team that have a lot of security, but a few areas for concern as well, starting with the quarterback position.

Head coach Ryan Day waited a while to name Alabama-transfer and former five-star quarterback Julian Sayin the starter. He beat out Lincoln Kienholz as QB1 to replace Will Howard, and will have plenty of weapons at his disposal under new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. Sayin has the best receiving corps in the country that he can lean on, not to mention the top transfer tight end as well. Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Max Klare will be all over the field this weekend, making plays for their young quarterback in his first career start.

The offensive line played great down the stretch last season, mainly in the playoffs, and overcame injuries to some of their best players. The dynamic running back duo from last season are now starting their professional careers, but second-year running back James Peoples and West Virginia-transfer C.J. Donaldson are ready to write their own story. They will need to make some plays in the running game and provide stable protection to give Sayin all the time he needs.

The Silver Bullets had a veteran defense last year, but lost a plethora of talent to the NFL; therefore, players like Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles will be vital to the success of this unit. Downs is arguably the best player in the country besides his teammate Jeremiah Smith, and will be moved all over the field under new defense coordinator Matt Patricia. Block O recipient Sonny Styles will be doing the same, making plays sideline to sideline as another leader of a defense that was one of the best in the country. Other notable returners at the second and third level include playmakers Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Matthews Jr., and Arvell Reese.

There will be a unique blend of young talent and veteran leadership on the defensive side of the ball, and one of the biggest questions all offseason has been the defensive line. Transfer defensive end Beau Atkinson will be crucial in helping pressure the quarterback this season alongside guys like Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Caden Curry, C.J. Hicks, Eddrick Houston, and Kayden McDonald. Jackson Jr. and Hicks are due for some increased snaps and will be asked to step up this season, and Houston can be a game-wrecker for the defensive line.

There is a lot of young talent on this team that has waited their turn, given the number of guys that returned for a final season last year. Jaylen McClain, Malik Hartford, Aaron Scott Jr., and Devin Sanchez are all guys who will need to handle the pressure of a huge opener and make plays against a talented Texas offense.

The Longhorns in Their Arch Era

Texas opens the 2025 college football season as the number one team in the country and has a lot of talent on its roster. They return a roster with some experienced players but also have some young talent at their disposal. This team has said how they want to hunt teams this season and how they don’t think they have a target on their back. Here are some things to know about the Longhorns as they try to enact their revenge.

The Orange and White lost some key pieces on offense last season, including quarterback Quinn Ewers, running back Jaydon Blue, wide receiver Matthew Golden, and tight end Gunnar Hel,m who all made their way to the NFL. There are no signs of falling off as quarterback Arch Manning takes the reins of the offense, and has options out wide with wide receivers Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore and Cal-transfer Jack Endries.

The Longhorns return a lot of players along the offensive line, as well as running back Quintrevion Wisner, who struggled in the run but excelled in the passing game in the Cotton Bowl matchup. 

On defense, defensive end Colin Simmons and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. are among the best in the country at what they do, and will try to disrupt the offensive flow for Sayin. Cornerback Malik Muhammad and safety Michael Taffe will hold down the back end of the unit and will have a huge matchup against the elite receiving corps of the Buckeyes.

Who Starts The Season Right?

The betting lines will tell you all you need to know about how close this matchup could be. Ohio State is currently a 1.5-point favorite with the over/under total set at 47.5 points. According to ESPN Analytics, though, the Buckeyes have a 46.7% chance of winning this game.

Yes, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding both teams. However, Ohio State has the best two players in the entire country, and has a team fired up to go prove that this is a new team that is just as talented, if not more talented, than last year. I think the offensive line and weapons around Julian Sayin will help him out enough that he doesn’t need to win the game for them. The defense will try to play physical and make a statement against a team that has been hyped up all offseason.

Jeremiah Smith will have more than three yards this game, and he and Caleb Downs will show off their elite skillsets all day long. The Buckeyes go down early but claw back and win a close one in the end to start the back-to-back campaign on the right foot.

Prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 24