The Buckeyes handled their season opener exactly as expected. Now No. 1 Ohio State travels to No. 5 Texas for a prime-time test that will reveal considerably more about its championship ceiling.

Ohio State spent most of Saturday making its season opener look easy. The Buckeyes scored 14 points in every quarter, piled up 671 yards of offense and held Ball State without a touchdown in a 56–3 victory. Julian Sayin looked like a quarterback ready to build upon his breakout 2025 season. Jeremiah Smith looked every bit like the most dangerous receiver in college football. The defense allowed only 165 total yards, and several young Buckeyes received their first meaningful opportunities.

It was a nearly ideal opening act.

But Monday arrives with an entirely different feeling because Ball State is already in the rearview mirror. The controlled setting of Ohio Stadium gives way to a sold-out crowd in Austin, a prime-time kickoff on ABC and a Texas team that has spent more than a year waiting for another opportunity against the Buckeyes.

No. 1 Ohio State and No. 5 Texas both opened the season with dominant wins. Only one of them will leave Saturday night with the best victory of the young college football season.

Here are this week’s Monday Musings as the Buckeyes prepare for the Longhorns.

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1. Ohio State’s Passing Game Already Looks Ready for the Spotlight

There are limits to what can be learned from a game against Ball State, but Julian Sayin and his receivers could not have offered much more encouragement.

Sayin completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards, threw three touchdowns and added another score on the ground. After missing his first two attempts, he completed 21 of his final 23. He looked comfortable in Arthur Smith’s offense, pushed the ball downfield and generated explosive plays without putting the football in danger.

Jeremiah Smith made the afternoon feel unfair. He caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns, all before halftime, including a 48-yard score that opened the scoring. His combination of size, control and explosiveness remains Ohio State’s greatest offensive advantage—and Texas knows that as well as anyone.

The most encouraging development beyond the obvious stars may have been Devin McCuin. In his Ohio State debut, the UTSA transfer caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. The Buckeyes know opponents will devote extra attention to Smith. Finding a dependable second receiver capable of punishing that attention could change the geometry of the entire offense.

Texas will not offer the same clean windows or forgiving coverages Ohio State found Saturday. The Longhorns forced three turnovers in their 59–7 win over Texas State, including a defensive touchdown, and they have the athletes to challenge receivers at the line and pressure Sayin into faster decisions.

Still, Week 1 provided real evidence that the passing game is capable of traveling. Sayin was accurate, Smith was dominant and McCuin offered an immediate answer to one of the offense’s most important preseason questions.

2. The Final Rushing Total Did Not Tell the Entire Story

Ohio State finished with 237 rushing yards, averaged 6.8 yards per attempt and scored three touchdowns on the ground. Read only those numbers and the run game appears to have delivered everything the Buckeyes wanted.

The path to those numbers matters.

Ohio State had only 35 rushing yards in the first half before Bo Jackson broke a 65-yard touchdown run and Ja’Kobi Jackson followed with a 49-yard score in the third quarter. Those explosive plays count, and both runners deserve credit for creating them. But they also changed the appearance of an afternoon in which the Buckeyes did not consistently move Ball State off the line early.

That is not a reason to panic after one game. It is a reason to pay attention in Austin.

Ohio State cannot ask Sayin to solve every down against Texas. Arthur Smith’s offense needs the threat of a reliable running game to stay balanced, make play-action more effective and prevent the Longhorns’ pass rush from attacking without hesitation. Third-and-short will not feel automatic if the offensive line cannot create movement against a much stronger defensive front.

The Buckeyes also allowed two sacks and were called for nine penalties totaling 81 yards in the opener. Some of that is typical first-game material. None of it can be dismissed against Texas, where crowd noise will magnify communication problems and negative plays can flip field position in a hurry.

Saturday does not require Ohio State to rush for 200 yards. It does require the Buckeyes to find efficient yards when the defense knows a run is coming. Four yards on first down may be more meaningful than a late 50-yard burst if it allows Smith to call the complete game he wants.

The line of scrimmage—not the quarterback duel on the television graphic—may ultimately decide this game.

3. Sayin vs. Manning Is the Headline, but It Is Not the Whole Game

The quarterback matchup will receive nearly all the national attention, and understandably so.

Sayin began 2026 with 320 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Arch Manning answered with 305 passing yards and four touchdowns in Texas’ 59–7 win over Texas State. Manning connected with Ryan Wingo for 121 yards, while Cam Coleman caught two touchdown passes. Both offenses showed the ability to create points quickly, and both quarterbacks enter Saturday surrounded by future NFL talent.

The rematch element adds another layer. Ohio State held Manning to 170 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in last season’s 14–7 win in Columbus. The Buckeyes repeatedly won the highest-leverage moments, including two defensive stops in the red zone and the final possession of the game.

Texas will remember all of it.

Manning is more experienced now, playing at home and coming off a confident opening performance. Matt Patricia cannot simply reuse last season’s plan and expect the same result. Texas will have answers designed specifically for the coverages and pressure looks that frustrated Manning a year ago.

The challenge for Ohio State is to make him remain patient. Eliminate the easy explosive throws, force Texas to sustain drives and tighten the field in the red zone. Manning has enough arm talent to make any defense pay for a busted assignment, especially with Wingo and Coleman capable of turning one mistake into six points.

On the other side, Sayin does not need to win a statistical contest. He needs to manage the environment, protect the football and make the handful of throws that separate a road victory from a close loss. If he looks as composed in front of more than 100,000 Texas fans as he did in the opener, Ohio State will have its answer about his next stage of development.

4. Matt Patricia’s Defense Faces Its First Real Stress Test

The defensive numbers against Ball State were excellent. Ohio State allowed 165 yards, surrendered only 45 on the ground, held the Cardinals to 3-of-14 on third down and did not allow a touchdown.

The tape was not perfect. There were missed tackles, and Ohio State recorded only one sack despite controlling the game. Against Ball State, those moments became footnotes. Against Texas, one missed tackle in space could become a touchdown, while a pass rush that arrives a fraction late could give Manning time to locate Wingo or Coleman downfield.

The encouraging part was how many defenders contributed. Ohio State rotated young players, gained live-game experience across the depth chart and never allowed the Cardinals to find a sustained rhythm. That depth will matter in Austin, particularly if the warm conditions and tempo force Patricia to rotate more frequently than he otherwise might.

Ohio State’s defensive mission begins on early downs. Texas converted 11 of 15 third downs against Texas State, an efficiency rate the Buckeyes cannot allow to continue. If the Longhorns consistently reach third-and-manageable, Steve Sarkisian can access his full call sheet and keep Ohio State from attacking Manning.

Patricia needs disruption, but it does not have to appear only as sacks. Pressures that force Manning off his spot, tight coverage that makes him hold the ball and disciplined pursuit that prevents scramble lanes can be just as important. Ohio State won last year’s matchup by making Texas fight for every meaningful yard. Repeating that effort on the road will demand even sharper communication.

5. This Is a Measuring Stick, Not a Season-Ending Referendum

It is difficult to have perspective during a top-five game. Every possession feels enormous, and every result is immediately framed as proof of what a team can or cannot become.

Saturday is unquestionably important. The winner gains a premier nonconference victory, an early playoff résumé anchor and credibility that will last throughout the season. Ohio State can also strengthen its hold on the No. 1 ranking by beating a top-five opponent on the road. Texas can erase two consecutive losses to the Buckeyes and announce that this version of the Longhorns is prepared to finish the job.

But the expanded College Football Playoff means neither team’s season ends with a loss. Ohio State proved that lesson during its 2024 championship run. The value of Saturday extends beyond the standings because it exposes strengths and weaknesses that ordinary September games often conceal.

Can Ohio State run when it has to? Can the offensive line protect Sayin in an elite road environment? Can the rebuilt defense hold up against one of the country’s most talented receiver rooms? Can the Buckeyes play clean football after committing nine penalties in the opener?

Those answers will shape the season regardless of the final score.

Ohio State should enter Austin confidently. The Buckeyes have won the last two meetings, lead the all-time series 3–2 and have repeatedly shown they can beat Texas in close, physical games. Confidence, however, cannot become comfort. The 2024 playoff victory and last season’s 14–7 win will not make a tackle or convert a third down Saturday night.

This team must earn its own Texas moment.

What I’ll Be Watching Saturday

• Whether Ohio State can generate consistent rushing yards before explosive plays inflate the final total.

• How the offensive line handles Texas’ front, crowd noise and obvious passing situations.

• Arthur Smith’s plan for creating favorable matchups for Jeremiah Smith without forcing the football to him.

• Whether Devin McCuin can build upon his impressive Ohio State debut.

• Sayin’s poise after the first negative play or momentum swing.

• How Patricia attempts to pressure Manning while limiting explosive throws to Wingo and Coleman.

• Ohio State’s tackling in space and defense on third down.

• Penalties, special teams and the hidden-yardage plays that become critical in a close game.

The Bottom Line

Ohio State and Texas spent Week 1 proving they could overwhelm outmatched opponents. Week 2 asks them to prove something much more valuable.

The Buckeyes appear to have the best individual player in the game in Jeremiah Smith, a quarterback capable of matching Manning throw for throw and a defense that already demonstrated it can frustrate this Texas offense. The Longhorns have the home field, a deeper understanding of Ohio State’s plan from last season and more than enough offensive talent to punish every mistake.

This feels less like a September game and more like a playoff matchup arriving three months early. Expect Ohio State to struggle at times, especially while establishing the run. Expect Texas to land several punches that the Buckeyes never had to absorb against Ball State. The deciding factor may be which quarterback remains patient and which defense wins in the red zone.

Ohio State has already shown it can win that kind of game against Texas. Until the Longhorns prove otherwise, the Buckeyes deserve the benefit of the doubt—even in Austin.

Early prediction: Ohio State 27, Texas 24

Game Information

• Matchup: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 5 Texas

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026

• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

• Location: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

• TV: ABC

• Pregame: ESPN College GameDay will broadcast from the Texas campus from 9 a.m.–noon ET

• Series: Ohio State leads 3–2 and has won the last two meetings

Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch